Majors:
Political Science and Spanish

Project:
A Literature Review Evaluating the Treatment of Women in Politics: Does Sexism Alter a Woman’s Decision to Run for U.S. Congress?

Mollie is studying how women in U.S. political office are treated by the media and their male colleagues. Specifically, the project sets out to study how gender-specific societal expectations of a person’s appearance may influence the decision of women to run for office. Mollie will review existing literature on the topic, with an eye toward developing new hypotheses on the subject in the future.

Faculty Mentor:
Emily Lynch, lecturer in political science

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“Sexism that female politicians experience is not reserved only for them. Women in any position or occupation that was previously (or still is) male-dominated, experience sexist treatment as well. I look forward to seeing the effects of this treatment and if it does deter a woman from running for political office.” –Mollie Melnick