Majority of Canadians say men and women make equally good leaders: poll

As U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton prepares to take the stage at the Democratic National Convention this week, a new poll finds that the vast majority of Canadians say men and women make equally good leaders.

The Angus Reid Institute opinion poll, released on Monday, found that 84 per cent of Canadians believe men and women are equally good leaders. However, 85 per cent of Canadians say that "some" or "most people" in Canada still hold the perception that men are better suited for top political positions.

"There's a big disconnect between what we ourselves say we think, and what we think the rest of the world thinks, or the rest of society," Angus Reid Executive Director Shachi Kurl told CTV News Channel on Monday.

Kurl said the perception that men and women make equally good leaders is a trend seen in many Western European countries, as well as in the U.S.

The poll also found the following:

-59 per cent of survey respondents said it's easier for men to get elected to political office, 38 per cent believe there is not much difference for men and women, and only three per cent say it's easier for women;

-Younger men are vastly more likely than their fathers and uncles to say men are better than women at "being honest and ethical" and "working to improve the quality of life for Canadians";

-35 per cent of the survey respondents said Clinton's gender has helped her political career, 24 per cent say it has hurt, and 41 per cent say it has made no difference;

-40 per cent say the main reason more women don't run for political office is because political parties don't do enough to encourage them; 38 per cent say family commitments is the reason more women don't run.

Kurl said one of the big takeaways from the survey for political parties, is that they have to look at ways to bring female candidates and their families into the political fold.

"Times are changing," she said. "The question is what are we doing to get the partner or spouses or husbands or parents or kids of would-be female candidates on board?

"That is something that political parties have to be looking at."

The online survey was conducted from June 8 -13, 2016, among a representative randomized sample of 1,515 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey is accurate within +/-2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.