Anna Sanders

Title: The impact of gendered policies on women's voting behaviour: An analysis of the 2015 UK General Election

PhD summary

Gendered voting patterns have been the subject of interest in both academic and party literature. In particular, understanding women’s voting intentions is crucial in close elections. Firstly, women are more likely to decide their vote closer to election day, and are more inclined towards swing voting. Secondly, women’s votes are of increased importance simply because there are more of them: currently, women comprise 52 per cent of the British electorate.

This research aims to extend the analysis of gendered policies on women’s voting behaviour by investigating the link between policy action and voting intention. It seeks to explore the link between the awareness of ‘detrimental’ policies (for instance fiscal retrenchment, increasing childcare ratios and aspects of pension reform) and voting behaviour. Moreover, it aims to discover the extent to which we can see ‘pocketbook voting’ (voting based on economic self-interest) in light of the gendered effects of austerity measures.

Dates

September 2016 - September 2019

Funding

ESRC

Institution name

The University of Manchester

Supervisors

Discipline area

Politics

Short biography 

Prior to doctoral study, Anna gained a BA in Politics from Queen Mary, University of London in 2015. Following her BA, she completed an MA in Political Science at The University of Manchester. Her research focuses on public policy, psephology and gender. 

Contact details

email: anna.sanders@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk