Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T20:50:18.888Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Role Models or Partisan Models? The Effect of Prominent Women Officeholders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2021

Cory Manento Open the ORCID record for Cory Manento [Opens in a new window]  and
Marie Schenk
Cory Manento*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, USA
Marie Schenk
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
*
Corresponding Author: Cory Manento, Department of Political Science, Trinity College, Downes Memorial 300 Summit Street, Hartford, CT06106, USA. Email: cory.manento@trincoll.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Women remain underrepresented in electoral politics compared to their share of the population. Using an original dataset spanning 1975–2019, we examine whether the presence of women in prominent political office leads to an increase in the number of women serving in state legislatures. We define prominence in two ways: the total number of women elected to statewide office and the length of a state’s history of electing women. We find that the prominence effect diverges by party. The election of prominent Democratic women leads to an increase in the proportion of Democratic women state legislators, while the election of Republican women leads to a decrease in the proportion of Republican women state legislators. Rather than serving as role models for women of both parties to enter the political pipeline, electing more women to prominent office is contributing to a greater representational gap between the parties in state legislatures.

Keywords

parties in legislaturesgender politicspolitical partiesparty organizations
Type
Original Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. 221 - 242
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Political Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barnes, Tiffany D., and Cassese, Erin C.. 2017. “American Party Women: A Look at the Gender Gap Within Parties.” Political Research Quarterly 70 (1): 127–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Box-Steffensmeier, Janet M., De Boef, Suzanna, and Lin, Tse-min. 2004. “The Dynamics of the Partisan Gender Gap.” American Political Science Review 98 (3): 515–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broockman, David E. 2014. “Do Female Politicians Empower Women to Vote or Run for Office? A Regression Discontinuity Approach.” Electoral Studies 34: 190–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burrell, Barbara C. 1994. A Woman’s Place Is in the House: Campaigning for Congress in the Feminist Era. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bystrom, Dianne. 2018. “Gender and Communication on the Campaign Trail: Media Coverage, Advertising, and Online Outreach.” In Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, 4th edition, eds. Carroll, Susan J. and Fox, Richard L., 250–79. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, David E., and Wolbrecht, Christina. 2006. “See Jane Run: Women Politicians as Role Models for Adolescents.” The Journal of Politics 68 (2): 233–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, David E., and Wolbrecht, Christina. 2020. “The Resistance as Role Model: Disillusionment and Protest Among American Adolescents After 2016.” Political Behavior 42: 1143–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlin, Diana B., and Winfrey, Kelly L.. 2009. “Have You Come a Long Way, Baby? Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Sexism in 2008 Campaign Coverage.” Communication Studies 60 (4): 326–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cassese, Erin C., and Barnes, Tiffany D.. 2019. “Reconciling Sexism and Women’s Support for Republican Candidates: A Look at Gender, Class, and Whiteness in the 2012 and 2016 Presidential Races.” Political Behavior 41 (3): 677–700.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CAWP. 2018. “Women in State Legislative Elections by State, over Time.” Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.Google Scholar
CAWP. 2019. “State by State Information.” Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.Google Scholar
Clark, Janet, Darcy, Robert, Welch, Susan, and Ambrosius, Margery. 1984. “Women as Legislative Candidates in Six States.” In Women: Current Roles in State and Local Government, ed. Flammang, Janet, 141–55. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Darcy, R., and Schramm, Sarah Slavin. 1977. “When Women Run Against Men.” Public Opinion Quarterly 41 (1): 1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, Irene. 1977. Sex Roles in the State House. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen. 2014. “Gender Stereotypes, Candidate Evaluations, and Voting for Women Candidates: What Really Matters?” Political Research Quarterly 67 (1): 96–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dubin, Michael J. 2007. Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures: A Year by Year Summary, 1796-2006. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.Google Scholar
Fox, , , Richard L., and Lawless, Jennifer L.. 2010. “If Only They’d Ask: Gender, Recruitment, and Political Ambition.” The Journal of Politics 72 (2): 310–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fridkin, Kim, Carle, Jill, and Woodall, Gina Serignese. 2012. “The Vice Presidency as the New Glass Ceiling: Media Coverage of Sarah Palin.” In Women and Executive Office: Pathways and Performance, ed. Rose, Melody. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Gamble, Katrina. 2007. “Black Political Representation: An Examination of Legislative Activity in US House Committees.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 32 (3): 421–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gay, Claudine. 2002. “Spirals of Trust? The Effect of Descriptive Representation on the Relationship Between Citizens and Their Government.” American Journal of Political Science 46 (4): 717–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilardi, Fabrizio. 2015. “The Temporary Importance of Role Models for Women’s Political Representation.” American Journal of Political Science 59 (4): 957–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, Danny, and Lawless, Jennifer L.. 2016. Women on the Run: Gender, Media, and Political Campaigns in a Polarized Era. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hennings, Valerie M., and Urbatsch, R.. 2016. “Gender, Partisanship, and Candidate-Selection Mechanisms.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 16 (3): 290–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogan, Robert E. 2001. “The Influence of State and District Conditions on the Representation of Women in US State Legislatures.” American Politics Research 29 (1): 4–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Junn, Jane. 2017. “The Trump Majority: White Womanhood and the Making of Female Voters in the U.S.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 5 (2): 343–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Junn, Jane, and Matsuoka, Natalie. 2019. “The Gender Gap Is a Race Gap: Women Voters in US Presidential Elections.” Perspectives on Politics, published online December 30.Google Scholar
Kanthak, Kristin, and Woon, Jonathan. 2015. “Women Don’t Run? Election Aversion and Candidate Entry.” American Journal of Political Science 59 (3): 595–612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ladam, Christina, Harden, Jeffrey J., and Windett, Jason H.. 2018. “Prominent Role Models: High-Profile Female Politicians and the Emergence of Women as Candidates for Public Office.” American Journal of Political Science 62 (2): 369–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Fox, Richard L.. 2010. It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office, Revised Edition. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Pearson, Kathryn. 2008. “The Primary Reason for Women’s Underrepresentation? Reevaluating the Conventional Wisdom.” The Journal of Politics 70 (1): 67–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowande, Kenneth, Ritchie, Melinda, and Lauterbach, Erinn. 2019. “Descriptive and Substantive Representation in Congress: Evidence from 80,000 Congressional Inquiries.” American Journal of Political Science 63 (3): 644–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maestas, Cherie D., Fulton, Sarah, Maisel, L. Sandy, and Stone, Walter J.. 2006. “When to Risk It? Institutions, Ambition, and the Decision to Run for the US House.” American Political Science Review 100 (2): 195–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manento, Cory, and Schenk, Marie. 2020. “Replication Data for: Role Models or Partisan Models? The Effect of Prominent Women Officeholders.” UNC Dataverse. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.15139/S3/HUN6XO.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mansbridge, Jane. 1999. “Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent ‘Yes’.” Journal of Politics 61: 629–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, Christian. 2018. “Wanting, and Weighting: White Women and Descriptive Representation in the 2016 Presidential Election.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 3: 29–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reingold, Beth, and Harrell, Jessica. 2010. “The Impact of Descriptive Representation on Women’s Political Engagement: Does Party Matter?” Political Research Quarterly 63: 280–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2006. “Do Parties Know That ‘Women Win’? Party Leader Beliefs About Women’s Electoral Chances.” Politics and Gender 2 (4): 431–50.Google Scholar
Scherer, Nancy, and Curry, Brett. 2010. “Does Descriptive Race Representation Enhance Institutional Legitimacy? The Case of the US Courts.” Journal of Politics 72: 90–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seltzer, Richard A., Newman, Jody, and Leighton, Melissa Vorhees. 1997. Sex as a Political Variable: Women as Candidates and Voters in US Elections. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Sidorsky, Kaitlin. 2019. All Roads Lead to Power: Appointed and Elected Paths to Public Office for US Women. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, Peverill. 1992. “Legislative Professionalization and Membership Diversity in State Legislatures.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 17:69–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, Peverill. 2012. The Evolution of American Legislatures: Colonies, Territories, and States, 1619–2009. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, Peverill. 2017. “A Squire Index Update.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 17 (4): 361–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swers, Michele L. 2002. The Difference Women Make: The Policy Impact of Women in Congress. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swers, Michele L. 2013. Women in the Club. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tate, Katherine. 2001. “The Political Representation of Blacks in Congress: Does Race Matter?” Legislative Studies Quarterly 26 (4): 623–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tate, Katherine. 2003. Black Faces in the Mirror: African Americans and Their Representatives in the US Congress. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Teele, Dawn Langan, Joshua, Kalla, and Rosenbluth, Frances. 2018. “The Ties that Double Bind: Social Roles and Women’s Underrepresentation in Politics.” American Political Science Review 112 (3): 525–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagner, Regina L. 2019. “Invisible Forces: How Contextual Receptiveness to Women Shapes Women’s Representation in the US House.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 40 (4): 445–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wirls, Daniel. 1986. “Reinterpreting the Gender Gap.” Public Opinion Quarterly 50 (3): 316–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar