A research team at a Japanese university found that voters had lower support for female politicians who wore masks, but no such effect on male politicians.
According to Kyodo News, the study results were released last month, just before the February 8 election.
"Different perceptions of faces wearing masks could be a disadvantage for female candidates," said Takaho Muroga, associate professor of labor economics at Kyushu University.
Takaho Muroga conducted the investigation together with Crawley, who was then working at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
She urged female politicians to find more creative ways to communicate in their campaigns and called on voters to be aware of potential biases when judging female politicians.
The survey, conducted in August 2020, surveyed 1,508 Japanese citizens aged 18 to 74. Researchers showed respondents photos of political figures, including the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, with some photos showing them wearing masks and others not.
Respondents are asked to rate the photos on a five-point scale based on five aspects: support, attractiveness, ability, intelligence, strength, and credibility.
Male politicians did not see a decline in any of their ratings, while female politicians only experienced a statistically significant decline in their approval ratings.
Source: [Lianhe Zaobao] (https://www.zaobao.com/news/world/story20260201-8258190)