Sexist slurs hurt a female candidate’s campaign more than her policy stances, according to a study on voter attitudes. That’s bad news for the likes of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Senator Kristen Gillibrand, who have been called “she-goat,” “mean girl,” and ” “the hottest member of the Senate,” respectively. A small survey, sponsored by the Women’s Media Center, the Women’s Campaign Forum Foundation, and Political Parity, as part of their “Name It, Change It” campaign to fight campaign sexism, also found that the typical advice to women to “ignore the attacks” was misguided. Instead of ignoring sexist characterizations, Ms. Candidate X most benefited by bashing down the remarks early on. Keep reading »
