Meet our Newest Graduate: Dr. Julie Croskill!

Meet Our Newest Graduate!

Dr. Julie Croskill’s Doctoral dissertation was entitled “‘Be Professional, Private and Pleasant’: The Conscious and Unconscious Gendering of Campaign Messages in Canadian and Australian Local Elections”. It was written under the supervision of Dr. Brenda O’Neill and Dr. Susan Franceschet.

 

Tell us a bit about your thesis! What was it about and what were its main arguments?

My thesis examined gender differences in political campaigns. Based on interview data with candidates who contested state/provincial office in Australia and Canada, I found that women campaign differently from men in a number of respects. A few examples include:   

                 • Women are less likely than men to feature their family life

                 • Men are more likely than women to dress informally

                 • Women are more likely than men to report being attacked by their opponents

It isn’t clear that all gender differences in campaigns are harmful to women candidates’ chance of winning. However, I found that there was less variance in men’s approach to campaigning compared to women’s based on competitiveness. The more competitive women candidates campaigned similarly to all men candidates. I argue that this is likely because our political system is built in a masculine style, and women candidates may choose to only break perceived gender stereotypes about the appropriate way for them to act (for example, showcasing their children or negatively attacking an opponent) when they have a real chance of winning their seat.

Any favourite memories from your research or at UCalgary Political Science you’d like to share?

The field work that I conducted in Australia led me to trek across a pretty big portion of the country. I was given a private tour of Parliament House in Brisbane, had my interviews crashed by Australian wildlife more than once, and almost went swimming in (unbeknownst to me) crocodile infested waters while I was waiting for my bus home after an interview. Almost every candidate that I interviewed in Australia was keen to boast about their local attractions, so I always had the inside scoop about great sights, activities, and local events to check out along my journey.

 

 

Where has your degree taken you now?

I’m a senior grants advisor with Health Research Services at McMaster University. In this role, I help Faculty of Health Science researchers secure funding, and ensure that the research projects they conduct at McMaster follow the policies and guidelines set by both McMaster, as well as the agencies that fund our research.

The coolest part of my job is that I get to learn about cutting edge research before it starts. Some examples include new techniques for diagnosing COVID variants, drug adjustments to speed up recovery for post-operative patients, and studying techniques to help high performance athletes stay healthy during their rigorous training regimens.

Any final words of advice?

The best advice that I can offer to undergraduate students is to take as many classes from different departments and even faculties as you can. You will likely discover new interests, and your studies will only be strengthened by a broader perspective.

 

Congratulations Dr. Julie Croskill on your degree!

To find out more about our current and past graduate students, please visit our website.