Psychological Factors in Women’s Political Careers

Women continue to be underrepresented in the world of politics, even though the formal barriers limiting their access to this sphere of activity have long been removed. The paper ana- lyzes the issue of political factors in women’s political careers and the reasons for their poor presence in this field of activity. Two feasible hypotheses to explain this state of affairs are presented in the paper: the first one assumes that the world of women does not fit that of politics; the second one assumes women’s insufficient competence and a lack of the personal or cognitive predisposition required in order to play political roles. Both hypotheses are tested against the results of numerous studies, including the author’s own research on sexual stereo- types, stereotypes in the perception of politics and politicians, and research into the differences between women in men in respect of the features and competencies that are significant in the profession of a politician.Women continue to be underrepresented in the world of politics, even though the formal barriers limiting their access to this sphere of activity have long been removed. The paper ana- lyzes the issue of political factors in women’s political careers and the reasons for their poor presence in this field of activity. Two feasible hypotheses to explain this state of affairs are presented in the paper: the first one assumes that the world of women does not fit that of politics; the second one assumes women’s insufficient competence and a lack of the personal or cognitive predisposition required in order to play political roles. Both hypotheses are tested against the results of numerous studies, including the author’s own research on sexual stereo- types, stereotypes in the perception of politics and politicians, and research into the differences between women in men in respect of the features and competencies that are significant in the profession of a politician