Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T10:11:59.107Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

What It Takes to Win: Questioning “Gender Neutral” Outcomes in U.S. House Elections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2013

Kathryn Pearson  and
Eric McGhee
Kathryn Pearson
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Eric McGhee
Affiliation:
Public Policy Institute of California
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

When women run for office, they win at the same rate as men. A significant body of research substantiating this claim has been touted by scholars and women's groups alike. “Gender neutral” outcomes, however, mask important sex differences in congressional candidacies. Indeed, extensive research has revealed a gender gap in political ambition: women are more hesitant to run for office and are more concerned about their credentials and viability than similarly situated men.

Type
Research Article
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 9 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 439 - 462
Copyright
Copyright © The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2013 

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

REFERENCES

Abramowitz, Alan I., Alexander, Brad, and Gunning, Matthew. 2006. “Incumbency, Redistricting, and the Decline of Competition in U.S. House Elections.” Journal of Politics 68 (1): 75–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, Deborah, and Andersen, Kristi. 1993. “Gender as a Factor in the Attributions of Leadership Traits.” Political Research Quarterly 46 (3): 527–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anzia, Sarah F., and Berry, Christopher R.. 2011. “The Jackie (and Jill) Robinson Effect: Why Do Congresswomen Outperform Congressmen?” American Journal of Political Science 55 (3): 478–93.Google 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
Burrell, Barbara C.. 2006. “Political Parties and Women's Organizations: Bringing Women into the Electoral Arena.” In Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, eds. Carroll, Susan J. and Fox, Richard L.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bystrom, Diane G., Banwart, Mary C., Kaid, Lynda Lee, and Robertson, Terry. 2004. Gender and Candidate Communication: VideoStyles, WebStyles, NewsStyles. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. 1994. Women as Candidates in American Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J.. 2009. “Reflections on Gender and Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign: The Good, the Bad, and the Misogynic.” Politics & Gender 5 (1): 1–20.Google Scholar
Cook, Elizabeth Adell. 1998. “Voter Reaction to Women Candidates.” In Women and Elective Office, ed. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Cook, Elizabeth Adell, Thomas, Sue, and Wilcox, Clyde, eds. 1994. The Year of the Woman: Myths and Realities. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Diamond, Irene. 1977. Sex Roles in the Statehouse. New Haven, CT: Yale University.Google Scholar
Dodson, Debra L. 1998. “Representing Women's Interests in the U.S. House of Representatives.” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future, ed. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Duerst-Lahti, Georgia. 1998. “The Bottleneck, Women Candidates.” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future, ed. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Elder, Laurel. 2012. “The Partisan Gap Among Women State Legislators.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 33 (1): 65–85.Google Scholar
Falk, Erika, and Kenski, Kate. 2006. “Issue Saliency and Gender Stereotypes: Support for Women as Presidents in Times of War and Terrorism.” Social Science Quarterly 87 (1): 1–18.Google Scholar
Fowler, Linda L., and McClure, Robert. 1989. Political Ambition. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L. 2006. “Congressional Elections: Where are We on the Road to Gender Parity?” In Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, ed. Carroll, Susan J. and Fox, Richard L.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Lawless, Jennifer L.. 2010. “If Only They'd Ask: Gender, Recruitment, and Political Ambition.” Journal of Politics 72 (2): 310–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freeman, Jo. 1986. “The Political Culture of the Democratic and Republican Parties.” Political Science Quarterly 101 (3): 327–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freeman, Jo. 1997. “Change and Continuity for Women at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.” American Review of Politics 18: 353–67.Google Scholar
Fulton, Sarah A. 2012. “Running Backwards and in High Heels: The Gendered Quality Gap and Incumbent Electoral Success.” Political Research Quarterly 65 (2): 303–14.Google Scholar
Fulton, Sarah, Maestas, Cherie, Maisel, L. Sandy, and Stone, Walter J.. 2006. “The Sense of a Woman: Gender and Congressional Ambition.” Political Research Quarterly 59 (2): 235–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaddie, Ronald Keith, and Bullock, Charles S. III. 2000. Elections to Open Seats in the U.S. House. Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield.Google Scholar
Gaddie, Ronald Keith, Hoffman, Kim U., and Palmer, Carrie. 2000. “Congressional Elections Beyond the Year of the Woman: A Research Update.” Social Science Quarterly 81 (3): 879–84.Google Scholar
Green, Donald Philip, and Krasno, Jonathan S.. 1988. “Salvation for the Spendthrift Incumbent: Reestimating the Effects of Campaign Spending in House Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 32 (4): 884–907.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, Joanne Connor. 1998. “The Role of Gender in Open-Seat Elections for the House of Representatives: A District Level Test for a Differential Value for Campaign Resources.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 19 (2): 33–55.Google Scholar
Herrick, Rebekah. 1996. “Is There a Gender Gap in the Value of Campaign Resources?” American Politics Quarterly 24 (1): 68–80.Google Scholar
Hoffman, Kim U., Palmer, Carrie, and Gaddie, Ronald Keith. 2001. “Candidate Sex and Congressional Elections: Open Seats Before, During, and After the Year of the Woman.” Women & Politics 23 (1): 37–58.Google Scholar
Honaker, James, King, Gary, and Blackwell, Matthew. 2007. Amelia II: A Program for Missing Data. Cambridge: Harvard University.Google Scholar
Jacobson, Gary. 1989. “Strategic Politicians and the Dynamics of U.S. House Elections, 1946–86.” American Political Science Review 83 (3): 773–93.Google Scholar
Jacobson, Gary. 2004. The Politics of Congressional Elections. New York: Pearson Longman.Google Scholar
Jacobson, Gary, and Kernell, Samuel. 1983. Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Jenkins, Shannon. 2007. “A Woman's Work Is Never Done? Fundraising Perception and Effort Among Female State Legislative Candidates.” Political Research Quarterly 60 (2): 230–39.Google Scholar
Kahn, Kim Fridkin. 1996. The Political Consequences of Being a Woman. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, Karen M., and Petrocik, John R.. 1999. “The Changing Politics of American Men: Understanding the Sources of the Gender Gap.” American Journal of Political Science 43 (3): 864–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Key, V. O. Jr. 1952. Politics, Parties, and Pressure Groups, 3rd edition. New York: Crowell.Google Scholar
King, Gary, and Zeng, Langche. 2001. “Explaining Rare Events in International Relations.” International Organization 55 (3): 693–715.Google Scholar
Koch, Jeffrey W. 2000. “Do Citizens Apply Gender Stereotypes to Infer Candidates' Ideological Orientations?” Journal of Politics 62 (2): 414–29.Google Scholar
Koger, Gregory, Masket, Seth, and Noel, Hans. 2009. “Partisan Webs: Information Exchange and Party Networks.” British Journal of Political Science 39 (3): 633–53.Google Scholar
Krasno, Jonathan S., and Green, Donald Philip. 1988. “Preempting Quality Challengers in House Elections.” Journal of Politics 50 (4): 920–36.Google Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L. 2004. “Women, War, and Winning Elections: Gender Stereotyping in the Post-September 11th Era.” Political Research Quarterly 57 (3): 479–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Fox, Richard. 2005. It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Fox, Richard. 2010. It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Pearson, Kathryn. 2008. “The Primary Reason for Women's Under-Representation? Re-Evaluating the Conventional Wisdom.” Journal of Politics 70 (1): 67–82.Google Scholar
Maisel, L. Sandy, and Stone, Walter J.. 1997. “Determinants of Candidate Emergence in U.S. House Elections: An Exploratory Study.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 22 (1): 79–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matland, Richard E., and King, David C.. 2002. “Women as Candidates in Congressional Elections.” In Women Transforming Congress, ed. Rosenthal, Cindy Simon. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 119–45.Google Scholar
McDermott, Monika L. 1997. “Voting Cues in Low-Information Elections: Candidate Gender as a Social Information Variable in Contemporary US Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 41: 270–83.Google Scholar
McDermott, Monika L.. 1998. “Race and Gender Cues in Low-Information Elections.” Political Research Quarterly 51 (4): 895–918.Google Scholar
Niven, David. 1998. The Missing Majority: The Recruitment of Women as State Legislative Candidates. Westport, CT: Praeger.Google Scholar
Norrander, Barbara. 1999. “The Evolution of the Gender Gap.” Public Opinion Quarterly 63 (4): 566–76.Google Scholar
Palmer, Barbara, and Simon, Dennis. 2006. Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling: Women and Congressional Elections. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Pearson, Kathryn, and Dancey, Logan. 2011. “Elevating Women's Voice in Congress: Speech Participation in the House of Representatives.” Political Research Quarterly 64 (4): 910–23.Google Scholar
Rule, Wilma. 1981. “Why Women Don't Run: The Critical Contextual Factors in Women's Legislative Recruitment.” Western Political Quarterly 34 (1): 60–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2002. “Political Parties and the Recruitment of Women to State Legislatures.” Journal of Politics 64 (3): 791–809.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2006a. Where Women Run: Gender and Party in the American States. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2006b. “Do Parties Know That ‘Women Win’? Party Leader Beliefs about Women's Electoral Chances.” Politics & Gender 2 (4): 431–50.Google Scholar
Seltzer, Richard A., Newman, Jody, and Leighton, Melissa Voorhees. 1997. Sex as a Political Variable: Women as Candidates and Voters in U.S. Elections. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shafer, Byron E. 1983. Quiet Revolution: The Struggle for the Democratic Party and the Shaping of Post-Reform Politics. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar
Smith, Eric R. A. N., and Fox, Richard L.. 2001. “A Research Note: The Electoral Fortunes of Women Candidates for Congress.” Political Research Quarterly 54 (1): 205–21.Google Scholar
Squire, Peverill. 1995. “Candidates, Money, and Voters: Assessing the State of Congressional Elections Research.” Political Research Quarterly 48 (4): 891–917.Google Scholar
Stimson, James A. 1985. “Regression in Space and Time: A Statistical Essay.” American Journal of Political Science 29 (4): 914–47.Google Scholar
Stone, Walter J., and Maisel, L. Sandy. 2003. “The Not-So-Simple Calculus of Winning: Potential U.S. House Candidates' Nominations and General Election Prospects.” Journal of Politics 65 (4): 951–77.Google Scholar
Streb, Matthew J., Burrell, Barbara, Frederick, Brian, and Genovese, Michael A.. 2008. “Social Desirability Effects and Support for a Female American President.” Public Opinion Quarterly 72 (1): 76–89.Google Scholar
Thomas, Sue, and Wilcox, Clyde, eds. 1998. Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Uslaner, Eric M., and Conway, M. Margaret. 1985. “The Responsible Electorate: Watergate, the Economy, and Vote Choice in 1974.” American Political Science Review 79 (3): 788–803.Google Scholar
Volden, Craig, Wiseman, Alan E., and Wittmer, Dana E.. 2013. “When are Women More Effective Lawmakers Than Men?” American Journal of Political Science 57 (2): 326–41.Google Scholar
Welch, Susan. 1978. “Recruitment of Women To Public Office.” Western Political Quarterly 31 (2): 372–80.Google Scholar
Wolbrecht, Christina. 2000. The Politics of Women's Rights: Parties, Positions, and Change. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar