This phenomenon isn’t a figment of Lindsay’s imagination or a fluke of her video footage; it has been documented in multiple studies on the dearth of women candidates for political office (we covered it in my Women in Politics class at Georgetown). Time and time again, women insist they are “unqualified,” despite possessing the same or greater experience than male candidates.
I think what Lindsay’s found here is a permutation of the same problem. Women, even privately “opinionated” women, are simply not comfortable stating their opinions in a public forum. My guess is that this is simply a survival technique. It doesn’t take a seasoned political scientist to see what happens when you do - just look at the vilification of Hillary.
Frankly, it’s extremely disappointing. Thanks to Lindsay for putting this piece together.
