Are female voices now being used more than male voices in political advertising?
Political voice over—like all advertising—was traditionally a male dominated club. But it’s been changing. Recently, I found some interesting research during a deep dive into the topic of female vs. male voice over work. I was surprised by the results.
I came across a study done by an associate professor of Political Science named Patricia Stratch at the University of Albany. The results, released in march of 2016, found that male voices still dominate in political spots 63% to 28%
Strach said, “We can find no good reason for this disparity. In many circumstances, men and women as voice-over announcers are equally effective. And, at times, it is more advantageous to use women’s voices.”
This study uncovered some interesting reasons why women are cast. Its not just to bring more fairness to the game. Lets take a look at some reasons the study found for using female voice talent:
Women voices are used when the topic is considered to be feminine. For example, spots talking about childcare and education, but less for foreign policy or national defense. Hillary, Angela, or the Prime Minister of New Zealand; Jacinda Ardern may beg to differ.
The research states that female voices also get used more for attack ads, either talking about a candidates policy or something personal. The reason being that a women’s voice is perceived to not be quite so mean, which could minimize backlash.
I think what also matters when it comes to choosing female vs. male voice over for political spots is who your audience is, who’s vote you’re trying to get. You’re demographic. As the Democratic party moves further left, I predict you’re going to start hearing more Black and Latino voices, and certainly younger voices. Now go out there and get some work.