Do Women Face a Different Standard? the Interplay of Gender and Corruption in the 2014 Presidential Elections in Malawi
Women’s Studies International Forum 88 (2021) 102501 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Women's Studies International Forum journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wsif Do women face a different standard? The interplay of gender and corruption in the 2014 presidential elections in Malawi Boniface Dulani a,b, Lise Rakner c, Lindsay Benstead d,*, Vibeke Wang e a Department of Political and Administrative Studies, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 280, Zomba, Malawi b Institute of Public Opinion and Research, P.O. Box 624, Zomba, Malawi c University of Bergen, Chr. Michelsen Institute, Christiesgt 15, 5011 Bergen, Norway d Portland State University, 506 SW Mill Street, Portland, OR 97201, United States of America e Chr. Michelsen Institute, Jekteviksbakken 31, N-5006 Bergen, Norway ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Incumbency advantage and corruption are persistent features of Malawi politics, yet the incumbent Joyce Banda Africa lost the 2014 elections. Drawing on national public opinion surveys and focus groups, we explore why in Elections cumbency advantage did not accrue to Banda. We argue that faced with a major corruption scandal, “Cashgate,” Malawi Banda paid a heavier price than male incumbents facing corruption scandals before and after her. Her electoral Corruption fate is consistent with studies demonstrating that women holding political offices are scrutinized more heavily Gender than men, and when they transgress female gender stereotypes of incorruptibility, they are judged using a higher standard. Introduction the polls since the reintroduction of multiparty politics in 1994. But, in the May 2014 elections, incumbent President Joyce Banda of the Peo The comparative literature suggests that individual holding the ex ple’s Party (PP) lost the presidency after only two years in office.
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