The Ties that Bind: Public Opinion and Linked Fate among Women of Color

ABSTRACT

Although women of color share the same gender identity, their differing racial identities lead to questions about whether they might mobilize collectively over a shared political agenda. Using the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey, we examine how linked fate among women of color shapes the political attitudes and policy preferences of Black women, Latinas, and Asian American/Pacific Islander women. Our expectation is that linked fate toward women of color will shape perception and preferences in three particular issue areas: policies that are intended to reduce racial inequity (e.g., police reform), perceptions of gender discrimination, and social welfare policies aimed at aiding lower income individuals. Our results strongly confirm these expectations indicating immense potential for cross-racial coalitions among women of color across issue areas.

KEYWORDS:

• Linked fate
• women of color
• policy preferences
• intersectionality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Non-Hispanic, White women, Arab women, and Native American/Indigenous women were excluded from the analysis.

2. Approximately 45% of Latina respondents descend from Mexico, 15% from Puerto Rico, 5% from Cuba, 5% from the Dominican Republic, 3% from El Salvador, 2% from Honduras, 3% from Peru, and 3% from Venezuela. For AAPI women, approximately 24% are Chinese, 19% are Indian, 13% are Filipino, 11% are Japanese, 10% are Korean, 10% are Vietnamese, 4% are Taiwanese, and 3% are Pakistani. The remaining respondents descend from a variety of Latin American/Caribbean and Eastern Asian and South Asian nations.

3. There is no interaction term including AAPI women since they serve as the baseline category.

4. The coefficient for nonresponses on the household income measure is negative, but narrowly misses the conventional level of statistical significance.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tony E. Carey

Tony E. Carey Jr. is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of North Texas. He specializes in the areas of public opinion and political behavior, with primary interests in African-American politics, the politics of race, ethnicity, and gender, policing, and social movements. Carey’s work has been published in several journals including the American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Political Behavior, and Politics, Groups, and Identities. He is also the upcoming co-editor of Politics, Groups, and Identities and co-founder and co-director of the Center on Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society (CREEHS) at the University of North Texas.

Mary-Kate Lizotte

Mary-Kate Lizotte is a Professor of Political Science in the Department of Social Sciences at Augusta University. Her main area of research is on gender differences in public opinion, voting, and party identification. Her work has been published in various journals and edited volumes. Her book, Gender Differences in Public Opinion: Values and Political Consequences, with Temple University Press was published in March 2020.