An Inspiring Experiment

Author: Frances Delacey | Major: Political Science

My name is Fran Delacey, and I was a political science major in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences! I just graduated and was able to complete my honors thesis in the spring of 2022, working with Dr. Janine Parry. For the next year or two, I plan to work as a non-profit volunteer coordinator before attending a graduate program for Public Administration.

My thesis is titled “The 2022 Arkansas Gubernatorial Election and the Impact of High-Profile Conservative Women on Gender Perceptions.” This project was an extension of the study published by Dr. Janine Parry and Dr. Mileah Kromer titled “The Clinton Effect? The (Non)Impact of a High-Profile Candidate on Gender Perceptions.” I examined the gender perceptions of Arkansas voters by priming respondents of the Arkansas poll with questions about the approval of Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Although I absolutely do not agree with the politics of Sanders, we have similar backgrounds and passion for Arkansas, making her a strange inspiration.

I chose this topic with Dr. Parry because of my interest in Arkansas politics. Dr. Parry was my professor for Arkansas Politics in the Nation, so it was a great fit! We were able to meet regularly and discussed how to best accomplish my goals. Dr. Parry was an amazing guide through the entire process! My other committee members, Dr. Schreckhise and Dr. Samantha Robinson, were former professors who I worked well with and was successful in their classes.

I was quite surprised by the results of my research. I was expecting Arkansans to be a little more polarized in their beliefs about women in politics. In this political climate, it is relieving that Democrats and Republicans have a similar outlook to women in politics. For myself, I learned that I am able to accomplish so much than I ever thought possible. As someone not mathematically inclined, I was shocked that I successfully learned and used SPSS on my own. I feel that by doing my own math in my experiment, I have a greater sense of ownership over my project. I have horrible imposter syndrome, and the success of my project has helped to alleviate that.

The results of my project can be used to build upon studies of exemplar female candidates. The project’s limitations lie in that there have not been enough women candidates of this nature to make overarching claims. The success of figures like Clinton and Sanders will hopefully inspire more women and girls to become strong political figures.