Kathleen Dolan, Ph.D.
kdolan@uwm.edu
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Country: United States (Wisconsin)
About Me:
I teach and do research in the areas of elections, voting behavior, and gender politics. My specific interests involve the relationship between women candidates and voters, the role of gender in elections, and the gender gap in attitudes and behaviors. I am also interested in the concept of political knowledge. I am currently co-editor in chief of American Journal of Political Science with Jennifer Lawless (UVA) and am a past co-editor of Politics & Gender with Aili Tripp (UW Madison). I have also served on the board of the American National Elections Studies.
Research Interests
Gender and Politics
Women Candidates
Political Gender Stereotypes
Gender Gap
Elections, Election Administration, and Voting Behavior
Public Opinion
Survey Research
Countries of Interest
United States
My Research:
My research focuses on the ways in which gender influences a range of aspects of American politics. One stream of my work examines how voters evaluate and choose women candidates for office and examines the determinants of those vote choice decisions. Using survey research, I examine people who have the opportunity to vote for women candidates in real elections to determine whether the sex of a candidate matters to people's evaluations and vote choice decisions. The other stream of work focuses on how gender influences political attitudes and behaviors at the mass level. Here I examine beliefs about women's representation, the gender gap in political knowledge and public opinion, and the interaction of gender and party on women's and men's attitudes and behaviors.
Publications:
Journal Articles:
This article, co-authored with Michael Hansen (University of Wisconsin Parkside) and Jennifer Clemens (Central Michigan University), examines the gender gap in attitudes about the use of force. While we find evidence of the traditional gender gap, with women being less supportive than men of a range of issues on use of force, we also find important differences among women and among men that are driven by political party. In examining the interplay of gender and party expectations, we find that women Republicans and men Democrats experience cross-pressures on their attitudes toward use of force.
This article, co-authored with Michael Hansen (University of Wisconsin Parkside), examines the concept of gender-relevant political knowledge and examine the gender gap in traditional and gender-relevant knowledge. Using data from an original survey, we find that the size of the gender gap in political knowledge is affected by the content of knowledge items, with women demonstrating increased levels of knowledge on aspects of American politics and government that focus on women.
This article, co-authored with Michael Hansen (University of Wisconsin Parkside), examines the impact of voter sex, political party, and experience with sexual harassment on evaluations of Brett Kavanaugh and political participation in the 2018 midterms. These elections took place in the immediate aftermath of Justice Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings, at which he was accused of sexual violence in his youth. We find that, in general, women are not different from men in their evaluations of Kavanaugh, but that political party and experience with sexual harassment are more central influences. Women who have been sexually harassed are less likely to support Kavanaugh, as were Democratic women. Sexual harassment status also influenced political participation in the midterm elections.
This article, co-authored with Michael Hansen (UW Parkside), examines public beliefs about the reasons for women's underrepresentation in elected office in the US. Using blame attribution theory, we find that some people blame the political and social system for discrimination against women, while others blame women themselves for the current situation.
This article, co-authored with Timothy R. Lynch (University of St. Thomas) examines the decisions women and men make when they shape their campaign messages and media. We find that women and men of the same party campaign on similar issues and focus their attention on the "issues of the day" in a particular campaign. Differences in message among candidates are explained by party, not sex.
Books Written:
This work examines voters who evaluated women candidates for U.S. House, Senate, and governor in woman v. man races in 2010. In general, I find that voter gender stereotypes do not shape evaluations of, or voting decisions involving, women candidates. Instead, as in male-only races, the party of the candidate is most important, with voters choosing the candidate of their party regardless of the sex of the candidate.
This book uses data from the American National Election Study to examine vote choice decisions for women and men running for Congress from 1990-2000. In general, I find that voter are no more or less likely to vote for women candidates than men.