Likeability trap

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The likeability trap is a campaign tactic where one attempts to portray one's opponent, usually a woman, as calculating or power-hungry to harm their general likeability among the electorate. The emergence of many women as democratic heads of government in the late 20th and early 21st centuries enabled research into the mechanisms through which popular biases against women affect general voter approval of female elected officials.

Although the tactic is most well-studied in the context of politics, some writers such as Alicia Menendez have also observed similar phenomena in business management.^[1]