Unit 4: Wrapping Up the Study

Writing task 1

The research has covered the correlation of gender and political orientation. It found several issues that were unexplored. First, the study showed an unexplained general political inclination along gender. This observation is also held by Miller and Shanks (1996). These two authors feel that the differences in voting patterns between men and women are primarily based on the differences in their policies supported by the two parties. They argue that men were more likely to vote for those parties that supported issues that were going to affect the economy and the overall economy. Women on the other hand, prefer to vote for those parties that support women rights and gender based issues. This inclination should be explored and an explanation sought. Future studies should strive to answer a variety of questions including:

• What political factors matter along political lines?
• Why do more women favor the Democratic Party?
• How do the party manifestos of the different parties depict the gender issue?

Second, the study did not explain why there is a bigger turn out among women than there are men. There should also be an explanation why men fail to vote. Blais et al. (2004) note that there were more women likely to vote at older age than men. They further note that there was a tendency for the turnout in the form of percentages to decline with time. While these studies identify that there is a bigger turnout among women, no explanation has been given. Future studies should answer the following questions:

• How can the turnout gap be reduced?
• Why are women more likely to vote?

Thirdly, the samples taken were too low to represent the entire population. There are over 200 million voters in the US according to Statistics Brain (2014). A population of 1600 participants is insufficient to represent such a big population. Future studies should strive to capture bigger populations to eliminate errors. More intensive study of the data provided may also help to lower the divide in politics along gender lines.

Finally, other factors should be considered in the study. Factors like education should be integrated into the study. Blais et al. (2004), for example, notes the important role that education plays in determining the voting patterns. The study should seek to determine if educated women, for example, vote differently from those who have little education. The correlation between age and voting can also be an important factor especially if it is integrated into the current study. In the study by Blais et al. (2014), the authors study voters’ turnout along the lines of age, generation, gender and period. The study by Miller and Shanks (1996) study voting patterns along the lines of age, marital status and gender. This signifies a need to incorporate more variables than there already are.

Writing task 2

The research sought to determine if there is relationship between voting patterns and gender. It is a quantitative research and obtains numerical data with regard to the voting patterns of Americans. The study was carried to help politicians with information that regards the voting patterns of different genders. The research found out a variety of issues. First, it found that women are often more likely to vote than men. Second, political orientation and gender are not correlated.

Conclusion

The type of research is quantitative research. It determined that the number of women who are likely to vote was higher than the number of men voters. It was expected that there would be a correlation between gender and political orientation. It was also expected that based on the number activeness of males in politics, there would be a bigger population of male voters. The findings showed that women were more likely to vote in favor of the Democratic Party. Men, on the other hand, were likelier to vote in favor of the Republican Party. While this was true, the inclination was not sufficient to show a correlation between gender and political orientation. The findings were therefore contrary to the expectations of the study on the larger part. This chapter is the final part of the study. It concludes the study by obtaining the very last part of the puzzle. There is insufficient evidence to show any relationship between gender and political orientation.

Implications of the study

The study determined that a relationship does not exist between gender and political leaning. The study shows the need for various things to be done by individuals with political interests. First, with this study it is likelier that the political strategies will be altered. There will be alterations in regard to how individuals handle their campaigns in the future. Republicans will require a bigger turnout rate especially among men. It is therefore up to them to campaign the gospel of turnout. Turnout is the most important aspect of this study. If men continue to miss elections, the Republican Party risks continued failure.

On the other hand, women are generally likelier to turn out for elections. Both parties will take this to imply that women are a surer bet than men. For this reason, they will tend to put more effort towards campaigning among women. This may lead to an alteration of manifestos to be more gender equitable and their leadership to be more gender inclusive. This will lead to better standards of living and better opportunities for women.

The study may also have implications on the manifestos in regard to men. It is probable that programs that matter more to men will become more available. Mainly, this will be intended to incite more men to participate in the voting exercise. Candidates with an intention of capturing male voters will insist on turnout in the future rather than just converting.

This study also opens up doors for future studies. This study has raised various issues that need further research. The study requires that more research be conducted in regard to the distribution of women among the different political orientations. The research can also be improved by increasing the sample size, for example.

Discussions Question

Jenkins (2012) attempts to find a relationship between gender and roll call voting. Research finds that the likelihood that had been expected in the study does not exist. This study shows that there is likelihood that such a relationship is only synthetic. It might have been obtained from certain age groups rather than be inclusive in the long-run. This study shows that gender is only slightly influential in politics. It notes that individuals are likely join certain political orientations based on the gender issues within the party.
Rimalt (2013) explores the departure of women from pursuing gender issues through the law and instead looking for political avenues. This includes attempts to occupy political seats and support of the political parties. The various mechanisms involved in this regard are newly found to the women. In contrast to my study, this study studies women from Israel. The study shows the need to conduct a steady research trying to determine the correlation between gender and political orientations.

Moita and Agustang (2014) studied the process of restructuring gender issues into politics. This includes such issues as the position of the female gender as actors as well as the role of the political conditions to determine the rate of restructuring. This study also sought to determine how women have strived to introduce gender issues to parliament.

The three studies show a high need for action. They all show the need to show politics in social growth. The research studies have used various ways to achieve this purpose. This study fills in the gap by comparing the relationship between gender and political affiliations. According to my study, women do not have any trouble deciding whether or not they should vote. Indeed, some women were the only voters in their families.

                                                                     References

Blais, A., Gidengil, E., & Nevitte, N. (2004). Where does turnout decline come from?. European journal of political research, 43(2), 221-236.

Jenkins, S. (2012). How Gender Influences Roll Call Voting*. Social Science Quarterly, n/a-n/a. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00847.x

Miller, W. E., & Shanks, J. M. (1996). The new American voter. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Moita, S., & Agustang, A. (2014). The reconstruction of gender in politics. International Journal Of Academic Research, 6(3), 157-162. doi:10.7813/2075-4124.2014/6-3/b.23

Rimalt, N. (2013). From Law to Politics: The Path to Gender Equality. Israel Studies, 18(3), 5-18.

Statistics Brain,. (2014). Voting Statistics | Statistic Brain. Retrieved 2 November 2014, from http://www.statisticbrain.com/voting-statistics/