The online survey of 1,996 adults also shows that US citizens believe that women's contributions at work start to decline at 59.7, compared to age 61.3 for men.
Lead researcher Michael Lovaglia, a sociologist in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, says that such expectations might have hurt Clinton who is 60, but helped Barack Obama who will soon hit the 'ideal' leadership age of 47.
'Ask people if her age and gender were factors and they will say, 'Of course not. It is her. I just don't like her'. Some of their expectations for a leader are subconscious, and underlying biases can make people uncomfortable. So they find other reasons to explain their unwillingness to support a candidate, like 'she is cold' or 'she does not connect with people',' Lovaglia said.
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