Studying women and LGBTQ politics at UNB
Author: UNB Newsroom
Posted on Aug 7, 2019
Category: UNB Saint John
A professor from the University of New Brunswick is making a difference in the lives of women and members of the LGBTQ community who hope to take on leadership positions.
Dr. Joanna Everitt, a political scientist and research methodologist from the faculty of arts at UNB in Saint John, is focusing her research on identity and the role it plays in terms of political engagement.
As a methodologist, Dr. Everitt uses a diverse range of methods to collect data for her research, such as large-scale primary and secondary national surveys, experimental studies content and discourse analysis, interviews and focus groups.
In her studies, Dr. Everitt is examining how people’s identity affects their engagement and participation in political elections. More specifically, she is focusing on the gender and sexual orientation of political candidates and how stereotypes, challenges and obstacles impact women and people from the LGBTQ community throughout political campaigns.
“My research looks at how the media cover women and LGBTQ politicians, and how voters respond to this coverage” says Dr. Everitt. “It’s my goal to evaluate how voters make decisions about these politicians once they discover their association with these particular groups.”
Dr. Everitt says that the key benefits of this research come from illuminating the opportunities, constraints and challenges confronting women and LGBTQ politicians.
“My research aids in understanding the role of women and LGBTQ persons in Canada and the barriers they may face when running for political office,” she says. “My work helps to determine what motivates and structures voters’ responses to political decisions and situations. This research helps to ensure accurate and sufficient representation of diversity within politics.”
Media contact: Angie Deveau
Photo credit: Joy Cummings