Breaking the Final Glass Ceiling
The Influence of Gender in the Elections of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Michelle Bachelet
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6409872 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gwynn Thomas (0000-0001-6179-8464, University at Buffalo, State University of New York), Marie Jeanne Adams (0000-0002-2176-3328, James Madison University), Melinda Adams |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 105-131 |
| Publication date | 2010-04-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Women & Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0195-7732 • E-ISSN: 1540-9473 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15544771003697270 |
| OpenAlex | W1987154035 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 12 |
The article extends the limited literature on women national leaders by providing a comparative study of two popularly elected women presidents: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia and Michelle Bachelet in Chile. Both Bachelet and Johnson-Sirleaf rose to power in situations that lacked the circumstances identified by current literature as mitigating gendered barriers to national leadership: neither woman was connected to politically powerful families, they were elected in presidential systems, and they were elected in countries that lag behind regional leaders in terms of women's political inclusion. This comparison reveals important similarities in how both Bachelet and Johnson-Sirleaf incorporated gender into their campaign strategies. Both women pursued electoral strategies that combined attempts to confront gendered disadvantages and to take advantage of specific gendered opportunities present within their political contexts. Both women drew upon their personal biographies, highlighting their education and careers, and political experience to demonstrate that they had the traditionally masculine traits associated with political leadership. In addition, they also strategically appealed to gendered beliefs about women's unique capabilities and strengths and linked these perceived strengths to pressing political issues in both countries. Our study thus demonstrates the continuing salience of gender, even as its influence becomes more flexible and complex
Glass ceiling · Inclusion (mineral · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Presidential system · Salience (neuroscience · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Studies · Law · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies
Urban digitalization and government environmental attention
Framing symbolic representation
Electile Dysfunction
Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't
Michelle Bachelet's Liderazgo Femenino (Feminine Leadership)
Women’s movements under women presidents
Is Romania ready for a female president?’
Civil War and Woman's Place in Lééonora Miano's L'intéérieur de la nuit ( Dark Heart of the Night )
A Theory of Gender’s Role on Presidential Approval Ratings in Corrupt Times
Women Mobilizing Women
Michelle Bachelet's Government
Women, Organizational Crisis, and Access to Leadership in International Organizations
Women, Political Participation, and the Arab Spring
Women’s Political Firsts and Symbolic Representation
Higher Expectations, Greater Disappointment
Women and Political Leadership in an Authoritarian Context
Gender and Political Leadership in a Time of Covid
Context and Media Frames
Gendered Opportunities and Constraints
The Glass Ceiling in Politics
Back to the Kitchen
Asian women’s paths to office
Organisational Climate and Intent to Leave among Recruitment Consultants in Johannesburg, South Africa
La figura de la madre en los casos de las presidentas latinoamericanas Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Cristina Fernández (Argentina) y Dilma Rousseff (Brasil)
From Thin to Thick Representation
Why Women Protest
Gender Power, Leadership, and Governance
Women, Quotas and Politics
Women, War, and Winning Elections
Women Political Leaders
Women's legislative participation in western Europe
Women in the Legislatures and Executives of the World
Las Elecciones Presidenciales Y Parlamentarias en Chile, Diciembre 2005 -Enero 2006
The Consequences of Gender Stereotypes for Women Candidates at Different Levels and Types of Office
Women's Representation in Parliament
Women's Representation in National Legislatures
Women's Political Representation
| Unique citing works | 25 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,67 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2026 (16) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 25 |