The empowerment of Latin American women in politics

The book untitle: “The empowerment of Latin American women in politics” is integrated by three chapters. The first one covers elements related to female empowerment in politics, especifically the topics related to feminist theory and political representation. The second one deals with empowerment and political participation of women in Latin America; it highlights the status of women and their political participation as well as the influencing factors in women’s political participation. The third one transactions with neutrosophical evaluation of the political participation of women candidates and elected officials of the provincial municipality of Huamanga.

Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability

What happens when a traditional source of political capital becomes a health hazard? Stigmatized electoral practices, such as vote buying, are a double-edged sword: While these strategies may signal candidates’ electoral strength, they may also entail reputational costs. In normal times, street campaigns are a non-stigmatized electoral practice. During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, they imposed health risks. Employing data from a national survey experiment conducted in Brazil prior to the 2020 municipal elections ( N = 2025), we extend research on the employment of stigmatized campaigns and the gendered dynamics of electoral viability. We find that voters evaluate candidates who engage in face-to-face activities as less electorally viable and report lower intent to support them. These dynamics do not impact all candidates equally: Voters more harshly punish women candidates who conduct street campaigns than men, leading women to lose the advantage they have over men when both employ non-stigmatized campaign practices.

Perspectives on Gender Stereotypes: How Did Gender-Based Perceptions Put Hillary Clinton at an Electoral Disadvantage in the 2016 Election?

Research on gender stereotypes has largely emphasized that women candidates are evaluated differently compared to their male counterparts. In this article, I argue that such differential evaluation put Clinton at an electoral disadvantage in the 2016 election. I develop my expectations based on the differences between feminine stereotypes and masculine stereotypes and how voters’ perceptions of the latter match the longstanding popular expectations for political leaders, in a way that advantages men as candidates and disadvantages women. I also expect that a “gender affinity effect” influenced the election, with Democratic women being more likely to vote for Clinton. In this article, I rely on data from the 2016 American National Election Survey to evaluate the role of gender affinity effect and gender stereotypes in Clinton’s electability. The results show that masculine personality traits had the largest effect and were more fundamental for winning the White House. They also show that there was no significant evidence of a gender affinity effect among Democratic women in terms of voting for Clinton. These results offer new insights into voters’ gender stereotypic perceptions of Clinton and their consequences for the electoral fortunes of women candidates in general.

Effect of Magnesium Sulfate Addition to Intrathecal Marcaine on Pain Management After Cesarean Section

Background: The cesarean section plays an important role in reducing mortality rates and postpartum complications in the mother and fetus in certain deliveries. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of magnesium sulfate supplementation on intrathecal marcain on pain control after cesarean section. Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 42 women candidates for cesarean section in Vali-e-Asr Hospital in Birjand in 2018. In each group, vital signs and pain score were assessed every 15 minutes using the Visual Intensity Pain Scale (VAS) 1,2,3,4,8,12 hours after surgery. Data were collected and analyzed using the Friedman test, t-test for independent groups, Mann-Whitney, and chi-square by SPSS software. Results: The mean age of women candidates for cesarean section was 29.11 ± 5.42 years. The mean VAS score in both groups at different times was statistically significant. At 1 and two hours after surgery, the mean VAS score in magnesium sulfate and marcaine groups was significantly higher than marcaine group and in three hours after the surgery, it was significantly less than the Marcain group but there was no significant difference in other times. Changes in pain intensity in the magnesium sulfate and marcaine groups were significantly greater than the marcaine group. Conclusions: Addition of magnesium sulfate to intrathecal marcaine has a significant effect on pain management after cesarean section.

Money matters: The impact of gender quotas on campaign spending for women candidates

Despite concerns that women candidates are hampered by gender gaps in campaign financing, few scholars have examined how gender quotas impact women candidates’ access to campaign funds. We examine the effect of a party-based gender quota on women candidates’ financing and electoral success in Ireland. Under the gender quota, the number of women candidates increased and parties acted strategically to provide women challengers with increased financial support. However, women challengers spent less candidate funds than men challengers and were less likely to have prior officeholding experiences associated with fundraising. Women challengers’ disadvantage is concerning because candidate expenditures are associated with winning votes. Our findings show that the effectiveness of a gender quota is partly determined by how the quota interacts with the campaign finance system and the political opportunity structure.

Media Representation of Women Parliamentary Candidates in Africa

Chapter 6 focuses on how women candidates are portrayed in the media. The chapter analyzes the coverage of women candidates in Ghana’s Daily Graphic, one of the country’s largest newspapers, during the December 2016 general election. Studies of how the media cover women politicians are quite rare in Africa. In this study, Coffie and Medie find that women candidates do not face bias in the quantity or quality of media coverage. Instead, women candidates are somewhat more likely to be covered by the Daily Graphic and articles on women are slightly longer than articles on men. Moreover, the coverage of women is not disproportionately focused on women’s issues, nor is it disproportionately negative and focused on women’s appearance. To explain these surprising findings, Coffie and Medie draw on interviews with reporters and elected women representatives.