An Intersectional Exploration of Psychological Violence, Threats, and Physical Violence of Mayors in 2021

• Published date: 01 May 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X231220648
• Author: Rebekah Herrick,Sue Thomas
• Date: 01 May 2024

Article

American Politics Research

2024, Vol. 52(3) 264–278

© The Author(s) 2023

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DOI: 10.1177/1532673X231220648

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An Intersectional Exploration of Psychological

Violence, Threats, and Physical Violence of

Mayors in 2021

Rebekah Herrick

1

and Sue Thomas

2



Abstract

Using an original dataset, we offer an intersectional exploration of psychological violence, threats, and physical violenceagainst

U.S. mayors in 2021 in cities of 10,000+ in population. We also explore violence that is gendered and raced. Overall, we f‌ind

signif‌icant and meaningful differences among gender/race groups. Women of color and non-Hispanic white women faced higher

rates of threats, gendered, and sexualized violence than men, and women of color were the only mayors to report heightened

levels of gendered and raced violence. Non-Hispanic white women mayors were distinctivein that they reported higher levels of

psychological violence, including being criticized for their appearance and perceptions that they were too emotional, but were

least likely to be called sexist. These f‌indings suggest that there are race- and gender-based costs of holding off‌ice. If so, the

effects on democratic representation and the benef‌its from representational diversity will be forfeited.

Keywords

intersectional, women, politics, violence, mayors

Introduction

“Diversity is what happens when you have representation of

various groups in one place. Representation is what happens

when groups that haven’t previously been included, are included.

Intersectionality is what happens when we do everything through

the lens of making sure that no one is left behind. More than

surface-level inclusion, or merely making sure everyone is

represented, intersectionality is the practice of interrogating the

power dynamics and rationales of how we can be together.”

(Garza, 2020)

A growing body of comparative and Americanist research

in political science has focused on violence against women in

politics. Overall, this research indicates that women off‌ice-

holders and candidates face more harassment, sexism, and

violence than men. However, very little research concentrates

on intersectional experiences of violence. As Krook and

Restrepo Sanin (2016, p. 7) assert, “…intersectionality has

not yet been incorporated widely into theorizing about vio-

lence against women in politics….”

Using an original dataset, in this paper, we offer an in-

tersectional exploration of experiences of psychological vi-

olence, threats, and physical violence against U.S. mayors in

2021 in cities of 10,000 in population and above. Addi-

tionally, we explore specif‌ic aspects of violence that are

gendered and raced. Overall, this study demonstrates that

there are signif‌icant and meaningful differences among

gender/race groups. Non-Hispanic white women, women of

color, non-Hispanic white men and men of color mayors do

not have the same experiences of violence as each other. In

our survey, women of color and non-Hispanic white women

mayors both experienced higher rates of threats, gendered and

sexualized violence than men, and women of color mayors

were the only mayors to report heightened levels of both

gendered and raced violence. Further, non-Hispanic white

women reported higher levels than their counterparts of

psychological violence, and violence based on evaluations of

their appearance and being perceived as emotional, but less

likely to be called a sexist. In all, the only types of violence

that women did not clearly face at signif‌icantly higher rates

than men were physical violence

1

and being called sexist or

racist.

1

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

2

Pacif‌ic Institute for Research and Evaluation, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Sue Thomas, National Capital Region, Pacif‌ic Institute for Research and

Evaluation, P.O. Box 7042, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, USA.

Email: thomas@pire.org