Deck 10: Gender, Politics, Government, and the Military

Question 1

The presidential election of ________ was important because it was the first time that the women's vote was significantly different from the men's vote.

A) 1920
B) 1980
C) 1976
D) 1952

Answer 1

1980

Question 2

A strong and consistent gender gap in political attitudes emerges with respect to all of the following EXCEPT:

A) economic issues.
B) environmental issues.
C) social welfare issues.
D) issues of war and peace.

Answer 2

environmental issues.

Question 3

Research on voters' preferences indicates that women voters are more likely than male voters to

A) favor construction of more nuclear power plants.
B) disapprove of increased spending on job training programs.
C) support U.S. troops invading another country.
D) prefer domestic social spending over military spending.

Answer 3

prefer domestic social spending over military spending.

Question 4

The following is true about the 2008 presidential election, EXCEPT:

A) Mr. Obama faired better among men than among women overall.
B) There were significant voting differences across groups of women and men by race and ethnicity.
C) Mr. Obama had a fairly wide gender gap among White voters.
D) The gender gap was narrower among Hispanic voters and nearly disappeared among Black voters

Question 5

Research on political activism indicates that women are more likely than men to engage in

A) party conventions.
B) transitional activities.
C) spectator activities.
D) gladiator activities.

Question 6

Women are almost twice as likely as men to

A) work on a political campaign.
B) be a delegate to a major party's convention.
C) make a monetary campaign contribution.
D) run for political office.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT offered in the text as an explanation for why women are less likely than men to run for public office?

A) They lack the "mental toughness."
B) They have many domestic responsibilities.
C) They face prejudice and discrimination both among the electorate and within party organizations.
D) They have been socialized not to develop the qualities needed to be successful politicians.

Question 8

Female candidates for political office

A) typically are perceived by the electorate as similar to male candidates.
B) are viewed by the electorate as more knowledgeable on foreign policy issues than male candidates are.
C) usually are considered by the electorate as being more capable of managing large budgets than male candidates are.
D) are perceived by the electorate as being better than male candidates at handling education issues.

Question 9

Recent research on media coverage of political candidates indicates that

A) female candidates receive more coverage than male candidates if a campaign is especially competitive.
B) female candidates receive more coverage than male candidates if the women are incumbents rather than challengers.
C) coverage of female candidates tends to focus on their chances of winning, whereas coverage of male candidates focuses more on campaign issues.
D) female candidates receive more coverage of their positions on national security, whereas male candidates receive more coverage of their positions on domestic spending.

Question 10

The most formidable obstacle for female candidates seeking to win a political office is

A) discrimination against them within political parties.
B) incumbency.
C) media coverage of their campaigns.
D) lack of experience in policymaking positions.

Question 11

Campaign fundraising my be difficult for female and minority candidates because

A) they have less experience than male candidates in managing large budgets.
B) women and minorities have not been members of political networks through which large campaign contributions have been generated.
C) women and minorities do not have their own PACs.
D) all of the above

Question 12

Women as office-holders have made the greatest gain in which political category?

A) state government
B) local government
C) federal government
D) There have been no significant gains made anywhere.

Question 13

Of the following, which is true with regard to "widow's succession"?

A) It occurs when a congressman dies or becomes ill and his wife is appointed to finish his term.
B) It was the primary means to the office of Senator for women until the 1980s.
C) It was abolished in 1977.
D) all of the above
E) both A and B above

Question 14

Presidential appointments, particularly for women and minorities, are import for the following reasons:

A) They provide young professionals with valuable career experience.
B) They set an example for private employers to follow in hiring personnel.
C) They offer opportunities for input into policy making from individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests.
D) all of the above

Question 15

There are ____ female Supreme Court justices.

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 0

Question 16

It is especially important for the President to name women and people of color for federal appointed positions because

A) such appointments set an example for private employers to follow in hiring personnel.
B) it sets an example for the private sector.
C) such positions offer opportunities for input into policy making from individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests.
D) all of the above

Question 17

The first women was appointed to the Supreme Court in

A) 1979.
B) 1981.
C) 1984.
D) 1993.

Question 18

According to the 1948 Women's Armed Services Integration Act

A) women were required to compose 25 percent of the armed forces.
B) female officers were restricted from wearing makeup.
C) women were restricted from becoming generals or admirals.
D) women were entitled to learn hand-to-hand combat.

Question 19

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a series of events took place that expanded both the number and roles of women in the armed forces. Which of the following is NOT such an event?

A) Grove City College v. Bell
B) Frontiero v Richardson
C) Public Law 90-30
D) the lifting of the ban on parenting for female personnel

Question 20

In today's military, women have been actively recruited because

A) after 9/11, the United States believed women could help win the war on terror.
B) wars and other conflicts in which the U.S. became involved increased the need for military personnel.
C) U.S. military officials wanted to take the burden off of men to fight in war.
D) the military was concerned that the economy was suffering without men in the active civilian labor forces at home.

Question 21

The risk rule

A) was utilized by the U.S. military until 1994.
B) determined the military jobs from which women would be barred.
C) referred to the military's policy of excluding women from ground combat and combat support positions that entailed a substantial risk of being killed in action or being taken as a prisoner of war.
D) all of the above

Question 22

All of the following are TRUE with regard to women in the U.S. Armed Forces today:

A) Women experience much sexual harassment.
B) Women are restricted from flying military aircraft.
C) Women are prohibited from bombing missions
D) none of the above

Question 23

Recent research shows that over ______ percent of the women in the military have experienced sexual harassment.

A) 55
B) 60
C) 75
D) 80

Question 24

The current federal policy with regard to gays and lesbians in the U.S. military

A) is considered by most observers to be significantly more progressive than the previous policy, directive No. 1332.4.
B) has diverted attention away from homosexuals in the military.
C) allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military as long as they are not open about their sexual orientation and do not engage in homosexual acts.
D) prohibits gays and lesbians from serving in any branch of the armed forces.

Question 25

Sexism among the electorate has increased in recent years.

Question 26

The public has clearly grown more accustomed to women running for political office and no longer considers it "unusual" or "unladylike."

Question 27

On September 20, 1995, the United States government began to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.

Question 28

The Defense Department's greater openness to women in recent years and allowing women to hold more military jobs has decreased the sexism that historically plagued military.

Question 29

The ratification of the Constitution of the United States resulted in a loss of rights for women.

Question 30

Numerically, women compose a larger percentage of the voting population than men.

Question 31

Black women have increased their voting rate faster than Black men.

Question 32

Minority women tend to vote similarly to White women in political elections.

Question 33

Men are more interested in politics than women are.

Question 34

Female officeholders are more likely than their male counterparts to have held previous appointed government positions before running for office themselves.

Question 35

Women were first allowed to be promoted to the rank of general in 1948.

Question 36

Since the 1970s, the number of women who entered the military rose substantially.

Question 37

Women may now legally hold combat-support roles in the Armed Forces.

Question 38

The U.S. Armed Forces is the most "equal opportunity employer"
that exists.

Question 39

The number of reported anti-homosexual harassment incidents in the military has declined.

Question 40

The gender gap in political attitudes and voting is complex. A number of other variables
intersect with sex to influence attitudes and voting. Explain.

Question 41

Why are women so scarce in political offices? Give some explanation for this and offer some possible solutions.

Question 42

Discuss women's roles in state and local government. Address the differences between minority and White women's experiences.

Question 43

Discuss the problems of sexual harassment and harassment of homosexuals in the military.
What accounts for the pervasiveness of these problems in the armed forces?

Question 44

Discuss the problems that gay and lesbian military personnel currently confront. Also discuss past and present government policies toward homosexuals in the military.

Question 45

Why is gender inequality in politics and the military important to gender inequality in society as a whole? What can be done to alter prevalent conditions of discrimination?

Question 46

Discuss the data showing disproportionately high rates of sexual harassment and sexual assault of female military personnel. What is the official response to this problem?

Question 47

Discuss the role of sexual orientation in the military. How have gay and lesbian military personnel historically been treated verses today?

Question 48

Discuss how gender played a significant role in the 2008 presidential election.