Why Are Women Still Not Running For Office? -- Notes

Reserve Reading

Fox and Lawless

Executive Summary

-Women underrepresented because they do not run; gender gap in political ambition

-Women less likely to: be willing to endure rigors of political campaign,

-have freedom to reconcile work+family obligations w/political career

-don't think they are qualified to run

-Don't perceive a fair political environment

Still a Man's World: Under-Representation of Women in Elective Office

-110th Congress, Jan 07, 84% male. 41/50 govs are men. 90/100 mayors of big cities =men

-80s=gradual increse, 90s=surge, last decade very little increase for women.

-US is 84th nation in % of wmn in national legislature

-Under rep not from discrimination, women are just as likely to win when the yrun.

-fundraising and vote totals has no gender bias

Citizen Political Ambition Study

-Goal: find out how wmn + men initially decide to run for political office.

-Four professions the most often have political candidates: law, business, education + politics

-Made two equal groups from same professional credentials, one male one female.

-Initial survey: 2001

-Women less likely to consider running; lwr lvls of encouragement + recruitment, more household obligations, + self-perceptions of unqualification

-Redid survey in 2008 after the events of the years inbtwn

The Gender Gap in Political Ambition

-In 2008, more then half of respondents, 51%, thought of running: 56% of men and 42% of women, gap consists across other variables

-Wmn less likely to take steps to launch an actual campaign

- Wmn more likely to express interest in school board

-Men nearly twice as likely to express interest for any federal position, 25% vs. 13%

-Men almost 50% more likely to consider running at state level (30% wmn, 43% men)

-Women more in local politics, fits sterotypic strengths

-Gaps somewhat smaller in 2008 btwn wmn taking steps to run

-The women who do consider running are just as likely to always think about it.

Explaining the Gender Gap in Political Ambition

-Attitudes about campaigning

-Lvls of encouragement + recruitment to become a candidate

-Traditional family dynamics

-Self-perception of electoral viablitiy

-Perceptions of political environment

-Factors play more with women then with men, making candidacy beyond realm of possibility

Not Interested in the Game: Attitudes Toward Campaigning

-Women less likely to view activites in candidacy positively

-54% men + 67% women deterred by at least 1 typcial campaign activity

-Most respondents more likely to want political position if they didn't have to campaign

-73% women + 69% men report more likely to seek political position if they could w/out campaign activities

-Women more likely to let negative factors stop them from running

No One Ever Asked: Electoral Gatekeepers and Political Recruitment

-2001, wmn far less likely to recieve support for candidacy

-Still a strong gender gap in recruitment, strong deterrent

-Women just as likely to respond favorably to recruitment, less likely to be recruited

-26% of women recruited by a women's orginization, making a big difference

-These organizations already narrowed gender gap some since 2001

Women's Work is Never Done: The Persistence of Trad Family Dynamics

-Women in higher positions less likely to be married/have kids then men in higher positions

-therfore, women in higher level professions already let go of some trad fam

-Women living w/partner 7 times more likely to be responsible for household tasks + 15 times more likely to have shouldered majority of childcare

-Women spend 50% more time each week w/ household/children then men

-As women's responsibilities in house decrease, their interest in running for office increases

-Household division not correlate w/ men's likelihood of running for office

-Not enough information/data to see if marriage/children affect choice in rnning for office.

-"Women may now think about running for office, but they probably think about it while they are making the bed"

Qualified, But Not Feeling That Way: Self-Perceptions of Electoral Viability

-one of the biggest barriers in 2001, and in 2008

-men 65% more likely to asses themselves as "very qualified"

-women's self-doubt a huge effect on depressing likelihood of considering running

-Do not stem from differences in direct political experiences/proximity to political arena

-Wmn's self-doubt doesn't reflect actual credentials.

-Men + Women well-matched in survey group via qualifications

-Perceptions more linked to subjective assessments then actual performance.

Bias in the Electoral Arena: Assessments of the Political Environment
-Women think the election outcomes are biased, so they don't pay attention to the actual facts.
-wmn more likely to judge local/congressional elections highly competitive
-12% of wmn think they are the "wrong sex" to run for office
-women less likely to think they will win first campaign
-"perceptions trump reality" - women perceive difference so they don't run

Where Do We Go From Here? Summary and Discussion
-2008: gender gap in interest in seeking office
-gender gap driven by wmn's aversion to campaigning, lwer lvls of recruitment + trad family
-Women's own perceptions impede ambition
-subtle progress from 2001-2008
-wmn more likely then before to be recruited and to engage in precursors to launching campaign
-more need to be recruited more to work on gender gap in ambition
-move towards more family friendly work + campaign would help women
-change perceptions by spreading facts and making campaigns less negatively viwed
-training programs very effective, wmn say more likely to consider running i she went to training program.

Concluding Comments
-many changes conicine with major cultural and politcal changes
-women inspired by the other women in politics