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Guidebooks
Keys to the Governor's Office - Unlock the Door: The Guide for Women Running for Governor
Keys to the Governor's Office (499K)
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Keys to the Governor's Office highlights a number of barriers that prevent women from competing on an equal footing with men in gubernatorial contests. In identifying the roadblocks women candidates face, it becomes easier to maneuver around them. Some of these roadblocks include:
Executive Leadership
Given the few examples of women chief executives in the public and private sectors, women candidates for governor must be able to demonstrate successful executive experience in order to win voters' confidence.
Preparation
Women need to provide more evidence than men of their financial and crises management skills to persuade voters they are as "qualified" or "ready" to be governor.
Family Matters
Voters are curious and make assumptions about women candidates and their families. They wonder about who comes first, the candidate's family or the public, and how she will juggle both.
By offering candidates, campaign teams and supportive organizations insight into voters' fears and stereotypes about women candidates for governor, campaigns will be better prepared to set aside those doubts. For example, our research revealed that women candidates face the highest hurdle in reaching constituencies such as seniors, blue-collar men and women who are homemakers. We also found that male voters prefer a man as governor, while women are voters are ambivalent on their gender preferences.