The race for mayor of Burlington is expected to make history, and it is getting the attention of experts on women in politics.The major party-backed candidates in the campaign for Burlington mayor are both women. Joan Shannon is a Democrat and current city councilor, and Emma Mulvaney-Stanak is a Progressive who now serves as one of Burlington’s state representatives in Montpelier.Burlington has never had a female mayor, so the Barbara Lee Family Foundation said it is paying attention to the race. The Massachusetts-based foundation studies women running for office, to better understand barriers they face — including gender bias.Amanda Hunter, the executive director of the research-based and nonpartisan Barbara Lee Family Foundation, said female candidates can feel added pressure to remain laser-focused on issues, especially in races when they are up against another woman. Hunter said research shows voters of all genders can judge women in politics more harshly than men, for qualities like physical appearance, dress, and tone of voice. Hunter added that voters tend to question a female candidate’s accomplishments more than a male candidate’s, saying women often need to prove they are qualified more than men do.Women running for office can also be labeled as being “unlikeable” based on the way they attempt to contrast themselves with their opponents, Hunter said, whereas a male candidate’s toughness, gruffness, or negative campaign messages might not be received as critically by voters.”The bottom line is, any woman or person of color seeking office — anyone that doesn’t look like all the people who have come before them — face additional barriers with voters,” Hunter said in an interview with NBC5 News. “That’s just a fact. And so it’s important for all of us to be aware of the biases that out there as well as our own biases, so that when we are talking to family and friends or we’re making our own voting decisions, that we can be aware of what we’re kind of bringing in to our thought process and making sure that we’re being fair when we’re evaluating candidates.”Hunter pointed to a study from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics, which shows just over a quarter of U.S. cities with populations over 30,000 have women as mayors. The Barbara Lee Family Foundation said that shows there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to women’s representation at the mayoral level.”When people see women at the highest levels of government, it breaks down the imagination barrier in their minds,” Hunter said, emphasizing that since the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s mayors have taken on higher profiles for dealing with a wide range of challenges. “And when you look at the children that are growing up now, they won’t remember a time in Vermont that there were not women elected at the highest levels of office. And that’s where we’ll really see transformational change in voter opinion.”Two men are also on Burlington’s ballot for the March 5 mayoral election, for which early voting is already underway.Those candidates are William Emmons, a longtime leader of the local postal union, and Christopher Haessly, a member of the Church Street Marketplace Commission. Both are running as Independents.NBC5 News has extended invitations to Emmons and Haessly to appear on a future episode of NBC5 In Depth.The race for Burlington mayor heated up when Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat, announced last year he would not seek re-election.Click here for election information from the city of Burlington.
The race for mayor of Burlington is expected to make history, and it is getting the attention of experts on women in politics.
The major party-backed candidates in the campaign for Burlington mayor are both women. Joan Shannon is a Democrat and current city councilor, and Emma Mulvaney-Stanak is a Progressive who now serves as one of Burlington’s state representatives in Montpelier.
Advertisement
Burlington has never had a female mayor, so the Barbara Lee Family Foundation said it is paying attention to the race. The Massachusetts-based foundation studies women running for office, to better understand barriers they face — including gender bias.
Amanda Hunter, the executive director of the research-based and nonpartisan Barbara Lee Family Foundation, said female candidates can feel added pressure to remain laser-focused on issues, especially in races when they are up against another woman. Hunter said research shows voters of all genders can judge women in politics more harshly than men, for qualities like physical appearance, dress, and tone of voice. Hunter added that voters tend to question a female candidate’s accomplishments more than a male candidate’s, saying women often need to prove they are qualified more than men do.
Women running for office can also be labeled as being “unlikeable” based on the way they attempt to contrast themselves with their opponents, Hunter said, whereas a male candidate’s toughness, gruffness, or negative campaign messages might not be received as critically by voters.
“The bottom line is, any woman or person of color seeking office — anyone that doesn’t look like all the people who have come before them — face additional barriers with voters,” Hunter said in an interview with NBC5 News. “That’s just a fact. And so it’s important for all of us to be aware of the biases that out there as well as our own biases, so that when we are talking to family and friends or we’re making our own voting decisions, that we can be aware of what we’re kind of bringing in to our thought process and making sure that we’re being fair when we’re evaluating candidates.”
Hunter pointed to a study from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics, which shows just over a quarter of U.S. cities with populations over 30,000 have women as mayors. The Barbara Lee Family Foundation said that shows there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to women’s representation at the mayoral level.
“When people see women at the highest levels of government, it breaks down the imagination barrier in their minds,” Hunter said, emphasizing that since the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s mayors have taken on higher profiles for dealing with a wide range of challenges. “And when you look at the children that are growing up now, they won’t remember a time in Vermont that there were not women elected at the highest levels of office. And that’s where we’ll really see transformational change in voter opinion.”
Two men are also on Burlington’s ballot for the March 5 mayoral election, for which early voting is already underway.
Those candidates are William Emmons, a longtime leader of the local postal union, and Christopher Haessly, a member of the Church Street Marketplace Commission. Both are running as Independents.
NBC5 News has extended invitations to Emmons and Haessly to appear on a future episode of NBC5 In Depth.
The race for Burlington mayor heated up when Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat, announced last year he would not seek re-election.
Click here for election information from the city of Burlington.
