What do women look for in a candidate?
Politics talks a lot about women, but it rarely asks them what they want. So we decided to ask.
This is the first time LOLA has run a survey within our own network. We put one direct question to the women in our community: “What does a woman look for in a candidate?” We wanted to know which qualities matter most to them when they choose who to vote for, what makes a candidate trustworthy, and whether they feel their concerns are heard.
The survey was open from September 23 to October 25, and 79 women from around the world answered. Their answers will help us understand our community better and decide what to talk about next. Here is what they told us.
What matters most in a candidate
Respondents could choose up to three qualities. The bars show the share of respondents who picked each one.
Percentages are based on 79 respondents. Some women chose more than three options, so totals add up to more than 100%.
What makes a candidate trustworthy?
We also asked, in their own words. The answer that came up again and again was consistency: doing what you said you would do. Transparency, a clear track record and keeping promises followed close behind.
Do candidates talk about what matters to women?
We asked whether issues important to women are usually addressed by candidates. Only one in five said yes, often.
A global, young community
Women from five world regions took part, and nearly half are between 25 and 34 years old.
Region
Age
Connection to LOLA
This is only the beginning
These results are a first look at how women in our network think about leadership and representation in politics. We plan to keep listening, and to share what we learn with the community and, in the future, with the people who make decisions on our behalf.
Women leading, together
Ladies of Liberty Alliance is a global network of women who believe in individual liberty and put it into practice in their own communities. Joining is free.