Publications
- The Mysterious Case of Female Protectionism: Gender Bias in Attitudes Toward International Trade
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- by Hiscox, Michael; Burgoon, Brian
- We examine new survey data on attitudes toward international trade showing that women are
significantly less likely than men to support increasing trade with foreign nations. This gender gap
remains large even when controlling for a broad range of socio-economic characteristics among survey
respondents, including occupational, skill, and industry-of-employment differences that feature in
standard political-economy models of individuals’ trade policy preferences. Measures of the particular
labor-market risks and costs associated with maternity do not appear to be related at all to the gender gap
in trade preferences. We also do not find any strong evidence that gender differences in non-material
values or along ideological dimensions have any affect on attitudes toward trade. The data do clearly
reveal that the gender gap exists only among college-educated respondents and is larger among older
cohorts. We argue that differences in educational experience—specifically, exposure to economic ideas at
the college level—appear to be most plausible explanation for gender differences in attitudes toward
trade. The findings suggest the possibilities of a renewed theoretical and empirical focus on the political
roles played by ideas, not just among policymakers but also among the broader electorate. In practical
terms, there are also implications for trade policy outcomes in different contexts and for how debates over
globalization contribute to broader gender divisions in politics.
- Publication Type: Conference Paper
- Published Date: September 02, 2004
- Field of Interest: Global Issues
- Burgoon, Brian, and Michael Hiscox. "The Mysterious Case of Female Protectionism: Gender Bias in the Attitudes and Politics of International Trade" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Hilton Chicago and the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL, September 02, 2004.
