Does sharing a common gender identity reduce political biases between women Democrats and Republicans? New research finds that highlighting shared womanhood actually increases cross-party animosity. Contrary to social psychology predictions, survey experiments suggest partisan differences intensify when female identity is made salient.
### Data & Methods
Researchers conducted two large-scale survey experiments with over 1,000 adult women each, testing how gender identity affects political perceptions.
### Key Findings
Reminding participants of their shared gender identity as women increased perceived differences and animosity between the parties. This effect held despite common empathy for issues affecting women (like reproductive rights).
### Why It Matters
These findings challenge conventional wisdom about bridging partisan divides through common identities.
They highlight a potential flaw in strategies using demographic similarity to reduce political conflict among women voters.
| When Common Identities Decrease Trust: An Experimental Study of Partisan Women was authored by Samara Klar. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2018. |
