Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T08:19:35.018Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Women in State Legislatures and State Legislative Research: Beyond Sameness and Difference

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Anne Marie Cammisa  and
Beth Reingold
Anne Marie Cammisa
Affiliation:
Suffolk University
Beth Reingold
Affiliation:
Emory University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The literature on women in state legislatures has grown dramatically over the last few decades, examining in detail their personal characteristics, behavior, and the impact they have had on state legislatures. Highlighted throughout this body of work are the many ways in which these female officials differ from their male colleagues. While it may once have been necessary to identify and categorize women legislators, we now need to broaden our research to examine both the diversity among women state legislators and the contexts in which they may or may not make a difference. This broader focus should include analyses of state-level forces, such as legislative professionalism and state political culture, and it should also investigate more thoroughly policy outcomes and processes. Interactions between gender and other social forces, such as race, ethnicity, and class, should also be explored in greater depth. This new direction would build on the richness of the existing literature and allow the two fields of women in politics and state politics to better inform and contribute to each other.

Type
Review Essay
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , Summer 2004 , pp. 181 - 210
Copyright
Copyright © Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

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

Barber, James David. 1965. The Lawmakers: Recruitment and Adaptation to Legislative Life. New Haven, CT. Yale University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnello, Michelle A. 1999. “Gender and Roll Call Voting in the New York State Assembly.” Women & Politics 20: 77–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrett, Edith J. 1995. “The Policy Priorities of African-American Women in State Legislatures.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 20: 223–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrett, Edith J. 1997. “Gender and Race in the State House: The Legislative Experience.” Social Science Journal 34: 131–44.Google Scholar
Berkman, Michael B., and O'Connor, Robert E.. 1993. “Do Women Legislators Matter? Female Legislators and State Abortion Policy.” American Politics Quarterly 21: 102–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blair, Diane D., and Stanley, Jeanie R.. 1991. “Personal Relationships and Legislative Power: Male and Female Perceptions.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 16: 495–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brace, Paul, and Jewett, Aubrey. 1995. “The State of State Politics Research.” Political Research Quarterly 48: 643–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A. 2002a. “The Effect of Legislative Diversity on Agenda Setting: Evidence from Six State Legislatures.” American Politics Research 30: 115–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A. 2002b. “Critical Mass Theory Revisited: The Behavior and Success of Token Individuals in State Legislatures.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA.Google Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A., and Haynie, Kerry L.. 1999. “Agenda Setting and Legislative Success in State Legislatures: The Effects of Gender and Race.” Journal of Politics 61: 658–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carey, John M., Niemi, Richard G., and Powell, Lynda W.. 1998. “Are Women State Legislators Different?” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future, eds. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. 1984. “Woman Candidates and Support for Feminist Concerns: The Closet Feminist Syndrome.” Western Political Quarterly 37: 307–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. 1994. Women as Candidates in American Politics. 2nd ed. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J., and Taylor, Ella. 1989a. “Gender Differences in the Committee Assignments of State Legislators: Preferences or Discrimination?” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J., and Taylor, Ella. 1989b. “Gender Differences in Policy Priorities of U.S. State Legislators.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Atlanta, GA.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J., and Strimling, Wendy S.. 1983. Women's Routes to Political Office: A Comparison with Men's. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics.Google Scholar
Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). 2001. “Women in State Legislatures: Past, Present and Future.” http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cawp/pdf/research/StLeg2001Report.pdf.Google Scholar
Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). 2003a. “Fact Sheet: Women in State Legislatures 2003.” http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cawp/pdf/stleg.pdf.Google Scholar
Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). 2003b. “Women of Color in Elective Office 2003.” http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cawp/pdf/color.pdf.Google Scholar
Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). 2003c. “Firsts for Women in U.S. Politics.” http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cawp/Facts/Officeholders/firsts.html.Google Scholar
Considine, Mark, and Iva Ellen Deutchman. 1996. “Instituting Gender: State Legislators in Australia and the United States.” Women & Politics 16: 1–19.Google Scholar
Crowley, Jocelyn Elise. 2002. “When Tokens Matter.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA.Google Scholar
Darcy, R. 1996. “Women in the State Legislative Power Structure: Committee Chairs.” Social Science Quarterly 77: 888–98.Google Scholar
Day, Christine L. 1994. “State Legislative Voting Patterns on Abortion Restrictions in Louisiana.” Women & Politics 14: 45–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, Irene. 1977. Sex Roles in the State House. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Dodson, Debra L. 1997. “Change and Continuity in the Relationship between Private Responsibilities and Public Officeholding: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same.” Policy Studies Journal 25: 569–84CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodson, Debra L., and Carroll, Susan J.. 1991. Reshaping the Agenda: Women in State Legislatures. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics.Google Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen, and Ford, Lynne E.. 1995. “Women in the State Legislatures: Feminist Identity and Legislative Behavior.” American Politics Quarterly 23: 96–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen, and Ford, Lynne E.. 1997. “Change and Continuity among Women State Legislators: Evidence from Three Decades.” Political Research Quarterly 50: 137–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen, and Ford, Lynne E.. 1998. “Are All Women State Legislators Alike?” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future, eds. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
DuBois, Ellen Carol, and Ruiz, Vicki L., eds. 1990. Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Elazar, Daniel J. 1972. American Federalism: A View from the States. 2nd ed. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.Google Scholar
Ellickson, Mark C., and Whistler, Donald E.. 2000. “A Path Analysis of Legislative Success in Professional and Citizen State Legislatures: A Gender Comparison.” Women & Politics 21: 77–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flammang, Janet A. 1997. Women's Political Voice: How Women Are Transforming the Practice and Study of Politics. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Ford, Lynne E., and Dolan, Kathleen. 1995. “The Politics of Women State Legislators: A South/Non-South Comparison.” Southeastern Political Review 23: 333–48.Google Scholar
Gertzog, Irwin N. 1995. Congressional Women: Their Recruitment, Integration, and Behavior. 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Praeger.Google Scholar
Gilligan, Carol. 1982. In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Githens, Marianne. 1977. “Spectators, Agitators or Lawmakers: Women in State Legislatures.” In A Portrait of Marginality: The Political Behavior of the American Woman, eds. Githens, Marianne and Prestage, Jewel. New York: McKay.Google Scholar
Hill, David B. 1981. “Political Culture and Female Political Representation.” Journal of Politics 43: 159–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, David B. 1983. “Women State Legislators and Party Voting on the ERA.” Social Science Quarterly 64: 318–26.Google Scholar
Jewell, Malcolm E. 1997. “Trends in Research on U.S. State Legislatures: A Review Article.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 22: 265–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jewell, Malcolm E., and Whicker, Marcia Lynn. 1994. Legislative Leadership in the American States. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Johnson, Marilyn, and Carroll, Susan. 1978. “Statistical Report: Profile of Women Holding Office, 1977.” In Women in Public Office: A Biographical Directory and Statistical Analysis, compiled by the Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute, Rutgers University. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow.Google Scholar
Kanter, Rosabeth M. 1977. “Some Effects of Proportions on Group Life: Skewed Sex Ratios and Responses to Token Women.” American Journal of Sociology 82: 965–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kathlene, Lyn. 1989. “Uncovering the Political Impacts of Gender: An Exploratory Study.” Western Political Quarterly 42: 397–421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kathlene, Lyn. 1994. “Power and Influence in State Legislative Policy-Making: The Interaction of Gender and Position in Committee Hearing Debates.” American Political Science Review 88:560–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kathlene, Lyn. 1995. “Alternative Views of Crime: Legislative Policymaking in Gendered Terms.” Journal of Politics 57: 696–723.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kathlene, Lyn. 1998. “In a Different Voice: Women and the Policy Process.” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future, eds. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kenney, Sally J. 1996. “New Research on Gendered Political Institutions.” Political Research Quarterly 49: 445–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkpatrick, Jeane. 1974. Political Woman. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Leader, Shelah Gilbert. 1977. “The Policy Impact of Elected Women Officials.” In The Impact of the Electoral Process, eds. Maisel, Louis and Cooper, Joseph. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Lilie, Joyce R., Handberg, Roger Jr., and Lowrey, Wanda. 1982. “Women State Legislators and the ERA: Dimensions of Support and Opposition.” Women & Politics 2: 23–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAdam, Doug. 1982. Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 1930-1970. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Mezey, Susan Gluck. 1978. “Does Sex Make a Difference? A Case Study of Women in Politics.” Western Political Quarterly 31: 492–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mezey, Susan Gluck. 1994. “Increasing the Number of Women in Office: Does It Matter?” In The Year of the Woman: Myths and Realities, eds. Cook, Elizabeth Adell, Thomas, Sue, and Wilcox, Clyde. Boulder, CO: Westview.Google Scholar
Mueller, Carol. 1984. “Women's Organizational Strategies in State Legislatures.” In Political Women, ed. Flammang, Janet. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Mueller, Carol. 1987. “Consensus without Unity.” Journal of State Government 60: 230–4.Google Scholar
Nicholson-Crotty, Sean, and Meier, Kenneth J.. 2002. “Size Doesn't Matter: In Defense of Single-State Studies.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 2:411–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norrander, Barbara, and Wilcox, Clyde. 1998. “The Geography of Gender Power: Women in State Legislatures.” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future, eds. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Pitkin, Hanna. 1967. The Concept of Representation. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poggione, Sarah. 2001. “Legislative Organization and the Policymaking Process: The Effect of Women State Legislators on Welfare Policy.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco, CA.Google Scholar
Prestage, Jewell. 1977. “Black Women State Legislators: A Profile.” In A Portrait of Marginality: The Political Behavior of the American Woman, eds. Githens, Marianne and Prestage, Jewell. New York: David McKay.Google Scholar
Reingold, Beth. 1992. “Concepts of Representation among Female and Male State Legislators.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 17:509–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reingold, Beth. 1996. “Conflict and Cooperation: Legislative Strategies and Concepts of Power among Female and Male State Legislators.” Journal of Politics 58: 464–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reingold, Beth. 2000. Representing Women: Sex, Gender, and Legislative Behavior in Arizona and California. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.Google Scholar
Reingold, Beth, and Schneider, Paige. 2001. “Sex, Gender, and the Status of ‘Women's Issue’ Legislation in the States.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco, CA.Google Scholar
Richardson, Lilliard E., and Freeman, Patricia K.. 1995. “Gender Differences in Constituency Service among State Legislators.” Political Research Quarterly 48: 169–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ringquist, Evan J., and Garand, James C.. 1999. “Policy Change in the American States.” In American State and Local Politics: Directions for the 21st Century, eds. Weber, Ronald E. and Brace, Paul. New York: Chatham House.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, Cindy Simon. 1997. “A View of Their Own: Women's Committee Leadership Styles and State Legislatures.” Policy Studies Journal 25: 585–600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenthal, Cindy Simon. 1998. When Women Lead: Integrative Leadership in State Legislatures. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Saint-Germain, Michelle A. 1989. “Does Their Difference Make a Difference? The Impact of Women on Public Policy in the Arizona Legislature.” Social Science Quarterly 70: 956–68.Google Scholar
Shapiro, Robert Y., and Mahajan, Harpreet. 1986. “Gender Differences in Policy Preferences: A Summary of Trends from the 1960s to the 1980s.” Public Opinion Quarterly 50: 42–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stanley, Jeanie R., and Blair, Diane D.. 1991. “Gender Differences in Legislative Effectiveness: The Impact of the Legislative Environment.” In Gender and Policymaking: Studies of Women in Office, ed. Dodson, Debra L.. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics.Google Scholar
Stonecash, Jeffrey. 1996. “The State Politics Literature: Moving beyond Covariation Studies and Pursuing Politics.” Polity 28: 559–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoper, Emily. 1977. “Wife and Politician: Role Strain among Women in Public Office.” In A Portrait of Marginality: The Political Behavior of the American Woman, eds. Githens, Marianne and Prestage, Jewell. New York: David McKay.Google Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1989. “Voting Patterns in the California Assembly: The Role of Gender.” Women & Politics 9: 43–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1991. “The Impact of Women on State Legislative Policies.” Journal of Politics 53: 958–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1992. “The Effects of Race and Gender on Constituency Service.” Western Political Quarterly 45: 161–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1994. How Women Legislate. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Tolbert, Caroline J., and Steuernagel, Gertrude A.. 2001. “Women Lawmakers, State Mandates and Women's Health.” Women & Politics 22: 1–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welch, Susan, and Thomas, Sue. 1991 “Do Women in Public Office Make a Difference?” In Gender and Policymaking: Studies of Women in Office, ed. Dodson, Debra L.. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics.Google Scholar
Werner, Emmy E. 1968. “Women in the State Legislatures.” Western Political Quarterly 21:40–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whicker, Marcia, and Jewell, Malcolm E.. 1998. “The Feminization of Leadership in State Legislatures.” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future, eds. Thomas, Sue and Wilcox, Clyde. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Yoder, Janice D. 1991. “Rethinking Tokenism: Looking Beyond Numbers.” Gender & Society 5: 178–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar