New research suggests it may depend on whether they have a first-born daughter.
Dads may be more likely to vote for female political candidates if they have a daughter — but only if the daughter is their first-born child.
Taken together, the impact of a child’s gender on her father’s politics is what the researchers call the "first-daughter effect."
One especially surprising finding: the first-daughter effect made dads more likely to support gun control.
We know from studies by other researchers that men spend more time with their first-born daughter than subsequent daughters.
Fathers of first-born daughters exposed to the "Clintonesque" appeal were significantly more likely to support Molly Smith than fathers of first-born sons.
And even when a father had several daughters, if one of them wasn't first-born, it had no effect on their political views. »
