Political Fear: Why are women often afraid to talk about politics?

Friedrich Merz, the Union's candidate for chancellor, recently suspected that Robert Habeck is so popular with women because they find him attractive. CSU leader Markus Söder responded to the question of what a politician has to look out for in order to win women's votes with "This is not a beauty contest." What do these comments imply? That women don't understand politics and are only interested in appearances. Unfortunately, this misogynistic image seems to be so deeply rooted in society that we often don't trust ourselves to express our opinion when it comes to political issues. But we have so much to say...

Women and Politics: A Relationship of Fear?

Women are too often afraid to raise their voices in sociopolitical contexts, whether at lunch with colleagues or over coffee with family. If you ask them why, you often hear: They are afraid of causing offense, of not knowing enough about the subject, of saying the wrong thing.

I know this fear of politics from my circle of friends, and have often observed that as soon as certain topics come up, suddenly it is mainly men who talk. But do they really know so much more about politics? I doubt it. Just like the assumption that women are less interested in politics. There are structural barriers behind this.

"Historically deep-seated stereotypical role assignments certainly play a part in this," explains social psychologist Prof. Dr. Julia Becker from the University of Osnabrück. "Back then, men had jobs - and politics - and women looked after the household and the children. Things are different today, but women still do more care work. If you look at current children's toys, we see Lego "for girls" - which is about topics such as friendship and dollhouses, and Lego "for boys" - which is about the big world, adventure, weapons and dangerous animals. These role assignments still have an effect. This is how different interests and expectations are formed."

The socialization of girls and boys not only leads to them developing different interests, but also to girls learning subconsciously: Science, math, and politics? Is that more for boys? As a result, women work less in these areas. And those who do often experience discrimination and are confronted with stereotypes that weaken their self-confidence and make career advancement more difficult. Ultimately, expectations are high and the fear of making mistakes is pronounced, which creates additional pressure.

Clear case of impostor syndrome

Political debate is often about opinions - and conflicts. What do you think about A? What do you say about B? And then there is discussion. Women feel less comfortable in such situations than men because they have higher expectations of themselves. "They think they can only have their say in political discourse if they have a well-developed position on a certain issue," confirms Julia Becker. "But there are conflicts where many people perhaps don't know how to position themselves or are ambivalent, for example on the subject of arms deliveries." This then means that they would rather say nothing at all than say something wrong.

Becker calls this a classic case of impostor syndrome. "People feel inadequate even though they are successful in their careers. They think they have cheated their way to success and don't actually deserve it." Impostor syndrome generally affects women more than men. "Women are much more likely than men to underestimate their abilities and skills, while men are more likely to overestimate their abilities," confirms the psychologist. This is evident in many areas of society that are more male-connotated, for example driving, science or politics.

Conflicts often have to do with dominance and representation. The fact that we generally think that women are worse at driving is because we are taught to be. The fact that women feel less comfortable in political discourse is because we are often not included and then do not allow ourselves to express our own opinions. And the foundation for this is laid by the patriarchy: men who are reluctant to step aside, who do not want to make room for women. Who prefer to remain dominant in order to secure their position and their privileges.

Women have to assert themselves differently in the male world

Nina Poppel knows the problem. The influencer studied political science and yet for a long time was very shy about speaking out on political issues. She admits to BRIGITTE: "I just didn't want to offend." In order to assert herself in a very male environment, she acted "cool" during her studies and, for example, claimed in front of the men that she didn't need a women's quota. She could do it on her own. "I was a classic 'pick-me-girl'," says Poppel.

Where does that come from? If women want to be strong and just don't want to show their emotions and vulnerability, it's because they are told that this is the only way to be successful. "I never wore dresses and skirts or even the color pink because I wanted to fit in with the 'man's world'. I think that many women are afraid of finding their way in the male-dominated world of politics."

That's why Nina Poppel explains politics on her Instagram channel. It's low-threshold and easy to understand. Her goal is to take away women's fear of political discourse. It is particularly important that women find access to politics, as patriarchal structures give rise to other interests. "Men are more interested in economic issues and women are more interested in environmental protection, sustainability and equal rights," says Poppel.

A lack of understanding or participation are not problems that should be passed on to individuals. She sees the problem more in the fact that there is far too little political education in schools and that politics is not taught in a way that is understandable enough to reach a broad audience. "We live in a democracy and it is important that as many people as possible participate, discuss and exchange ideas," says Poppel.

Unfortunately, there is still a lack of representation in politics. We urgently need more female role models like Heidi Reichinnek or Ricarda Lang. Who are brave and fearless and who make no secret of the extra mile they had to go because they are women. Not only to shake up the elitist, male-dominated political circles, but also to create identification potential for 'normal' women in everyday life. We need more voices that shout out loud: "Women, dare to say what you think!" I'm determined to let my inner Heidi out more often from now on.

Brigitte

#Topics