Issues of Gender in the 2016 Presidential Campaign

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of how issues of gender played out across the primaries, general election and postelection phases. From the beginning of the political season, there was no question that gender was going to be a major consideration in the presidential campaign. Challenges women face in political campaigns are well documented. Most of the gender characterizations and portrayals noted in the 2008 race also appeared in the 2016 contest, to the detriment of Clinton. The two unexpected aspects were the negative reactions of third-wave feminists and younger women to the candidacy of Clinton and the statements, attitudes and behavior Trump displayed towards women throughout the campaign, not to mention much of his life. In the end, Trump enjoyed strong support among Republican women, married white women and evangelical white women.