Meredith Conroy is the author of
Masculinity, Media, and the American Presidency (Palgrave MacMillan, 2015). Conroy is assistant professor of Political Science at California State University, San Bernardino. Joining the conversation is Lilly Goren, professor of political science at Carrol University. Does gendered language relate to electoral success? Does the most masculine candidate win the race? In this book, Conroy unpacked how sex, gender, and identity interact during presidential campaigns. She finds that the media portrays presidential candidates as masculine, feminine, or neutral, and that these descriptions relate to candidate success. In the last several elections, only Barack Obama in 2008 won despite being portrayed as the less masculine candidate. Conroys findings provide a lens through which the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump can be better understood, and suggest ways that subtle gender bias shapes elections.