According to research, its a move that could make or break her campaign.
I saw it in academia.
We would have lab meetings and casually talk about women and men differently.
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And watching panel shows on TV and politics, Id notice the same thing.
Think about it this way: You call her Jane Austin.
You call him Dickens.
You call her Hillary.
You call him Clinton.
You call him Trump and her Kamala.
They ran eight different studies in total.
Across the studies, the results suggested that this gender bias may be seriously consequential.
By referencing female candidates informally, newspeople infantilize the candidates and detract from their power and legitimacy.
Their study isnt the only one showing this effect.
Media coverage can profoundly affect election outcomes, the 2011 study Whats in a Name?
Coverage of Senator Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic Primary, published in the journalPolitical Research Quarterly,proclaimed.
Specifically, gender bias in coverage can disadvantage female candidates.
Historically, female candidates receive 50% less coverage than their comparable male counterparts.
By referencing female candidates informally, newspeople infantilize the candidates and detract from their power and legitimacy.
Kamala is more informal.
Its potentially meaningful that she gets a first name.
This could, in turn, make her more familiar and more approachable.
What kind of misogyny, exactly?
We keep forgetting it.
She didnt win there on her merit.
Not to mention that she was democratically elected by the people of New York State.
But heres the fun part about all these rules: They are meant to be broken.
And as both researchers noted, Harris has the best shot at bucking convention.
We focused on the disadvantages, Atir says about her research.
But I dont think [Harris] is necessarily at a disadvantage.
But Harris, on the other hand, sometimes shes called Kamala Harris and sometimes just Kamala.
And just Kamala, I think like Trump, also assumes recognition without the full name.
Kamala is more informal.
This could, in turn, make her more familiar and more approachable.
And with a candidate like Harris, whose policies are less known, familiarity may be critical.
I think in terms of presenting herself as the presidential candidate, her name distinguishes her, Goren says.
That highlights her identities in a positive way.
Think: Shes got a shot at being called whatever she wants, including Madam President Kamala Devi Harris.
