Download or read book The Impact of Women in Public Office written by Susan J. Carroll and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2001-11-12 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[A] well-integrated volume by...one of the best known political scientists working on women and politics.... [It] includes contributions by leading scholars in the field, and provides a well-written and accessible overview of the impact of women in office at every level..." -- Pippa Norris, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University "This [book] will be the standard-bearer not simply because it contains most of the early research in the field but more importantly, because of the wide-ranging scope and diversity of the research and the subsequently nuanced and contextualized arguments presented."-Beth Reingold, Emory University In recent years the numbers of women serving in public offices at various levels of government have increased markedly. Is the increasing presence of women in public office making a difference? Are women public officials having a distinctive impact on public policy and the political process? These questions are central to the studies in The Impact of Women in Public Office. These studies examine the impact of women public officials serving in various offices and locales at local, state, and national levels. They are the product of a large, coordinated research project sponsored by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University and funded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation. The subjects of these studies range from a single, very prominent U.S. Senator, who served in Congress from the early 1940s to the early 1970s, to local council members in a New Jersey county in the 1980s. They include state legislators from across the country. The research presented in this volume offers compelling evidence that women public officials do have a gender-related impact on public policy and the political process. Nevertheless, context matters; these studies demonstrate that the impact of women public officials varies considerably across political environments. Finally, the research in this volume suggests that identification with feminism and/or of particular racial or ethnic group also influence how and to what extent women public officials are making a difference. Contributors include Edith J. Barrett, Susan Abrams Beck, Janet K. Boles, Susan J. Carroll, Debra L. Dodson, Lyn Kathlene, Elaine Martin, Nancy E. McGlen, Meredith Reid Sarkees, Janann Sherman, Sue Thomas, Sue Tolleson-Rinehart, and Susan Welch.

Download or read book The Impact of Women in Congress written by Debra L. Dodson and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2006-05-18 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While existing literature provides compelling evidence that women in public office make a difference, the relationship between descriptive and substantive representation of women in political institutions long the domain of men is neither simple nor certain. Embracing New Institutionalists' warnings of the dangers of studying behaviour in an institutional vacuum, this book uses two strikingly different yet consecutive congresses - the Democratically controlled 103rd Congress electedduring the 'Year of the Woman' and the Republican-controlled 104th Congress elected during the 'Year of the Angry White Male' - as laboratories to explore the complexity of the relationship between women's presence and impact. In-depth interviews with hundreds of staff, lobbyists, and women membersof Congress, along with other quantitative and archival data, are the foundation for case studies of three highly visible policy areas (reproductive rights, women's health, and health care policy) important to women, but with strikingly different outcomes across the two Congresses.The inquiry is quickly moved beyond the simple question 'Do women make a difference?' Dodson confronts the contested issues surrounding difference which often lurk beneath the surface - the probabilistic rather than deterministic relationship between descriptive and substantive representation of women, the contested legitimacy of women representing women, and the disagreement about what it means to represent women. The analysis moves the literature toward a better integrated understanding ofhow gendered forces at the individual, institutional, and societal levels combine to reinforce and redefine gendered relationships to power in the public sphere. The results can be generalized over time and across settings, are meaningful even in periods when the answer to the question of whetherwomen make a difference seems to be more frequently 'no' than 'yes,' and point to strategies that may bolster the impact of women's presence for substantive representation of women.

Download or read book A Seat at the Table written by Kelly Dittmar and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-17 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The presence of women in Congress is at an all-time high -- approximately one of every five members is female -- and record numbers of women are running for public office for the 2018 midterms. At the same time, Congress is more polarized than ever, and little research exists on how women in Congress view their experiences and contributions to American politics today. Drawing on personal interviews with over three-quarters of the women serving in the 114th Congress (2015-17), the authors analyze how these women navigate today's stark partisan divisions, and whether they feel effective in their jobs. Through first-person perspectives, A Seat at the Table looks at what motivates these women's legislative priorities and behavior, details the ways in which women experience service within a male-dominated institution, and highlights why it matters that women sit in the nation's federal legislative chambers. It describes the strategies women employ to overcome any challenges they confront as well as the opportunities available to them. The book examines how gender interacts with political party, race and ethnicity, seniority, chamber, and district characteristics to shape women's representational influence and behavior, finding that party and race/ethnicity are the two most complicating factors to a singular narrative of women's congressional representation. While congresswomen's perspectives, experiences, and influence are neither uniform nor interchangeable, they strongly believe their presence matters in myriad ways, affecting congressional culture, priorities, processes, debates, and outcomes.

Download or read book The Difference Women Make written by Michele L. Swers and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2002-09-15 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What if there were more women in Congress? Providing the first comprehensive study of the policy activity of male and female legislators at the federal level, Michele L. Swers persuasively demonstrates that, even though representatives often vote a party line, their gender is politically significant and does indeed influence policy making. Swers combines quantitative analyses of bills with interviews with legislators and their staff to compare legislative activity on women's issues by male and female members of the House of Representatives during the 103rd (1993-94) and 104th (1995-96) Congresses. Tracking representatives' commitment to women's issues throughout the legislative process, from the introduction of bills through committee consideration to final floor votes, Swers examines how the prevailing political context and members' positions within Congress affect whether and how aggressively they pursue women's issues. Anyone studying congressional behavior, the role of women, or the representation of social identities in Congress will benefit from Swers's balanced and nuanced analysis.

Download or read book Women in the Club written by Michele L. Swers and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-04-23 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the run-up to the 2012 presidential election, Democrats and Republicans were locked in a fierce battle for the female vote. Democrats charged Republicans with waging a “war on women,” while Republicans countered that Democratic policies actually undermined women’s rights. The women of the Senate wielded particular power, planning press conferences, appearing on political programs, and taking to the Senate floor over gender-related issues such as workplace equality and reproductive rights. The first book to examine the impact of gender differences in the Senate, Women in the Club is an eye-opening exploration of how women are influencing policy and politics in this erstwhile male bastion of power. Gender, Michele L. Swers shows, is a fundamental factor for women in the Senate, interacting with both party affiliation and individual ideology to shape priorities on policy. Women, for example, are more active proponents of social welfare and women’s rights. But the effects of gender extend beyond mere policy preferences. Senators also develop their priorities with an eye to managing voter expectations about their expertise and advancing their party’s position on a given issue. The election of women in increasing numbers has also coincided with the evolution of the Senate as a highly partisan institution. The stark differences between the parties on issues pertaining to gender have meant that Democratic and Republican senators often assume very different roles as they reconcile their policy views on gender issues with the desire to act as members of partisan teams championing or defending their party’s record in an effort to reach various groups of voters.

Download or read book A Seat at the Table written by Kelly Dittmar and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-17 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The presence of women in Congress is at an all-time high -- approximately one of every five members is female -- and record numbers of women are running for public office for the 2018 midterms. At the same time, Congress is more polarized than ever, and little research exists on how women in Congress view their experiences and contributions to American politics today. Drawing on personal interviews with over three-quarters of the women serving in the 114th Congress (2015-17), the authors analyze how these women navigate today's stark partisan divisions, and whether they feel effective in their jobs. Through first-person perspectives, A Seat at the Table looks at what motivates these women's legislative priorities and behavior, details the ways in which women experience service within a male-dominated institution, and highlights why it matters that women sit in the nation's federal legislative chambers. It describes the strategies women employ to overcome any challenges they confront as well as the opportunities available to them. The book examines how gender interacts with political party, race and ethnicity, seniority, chamber, and district characteristics to shape women's representational influence and behavior, finding that party and race/ethnicity are the two most complicating factors to a singular narrative of women's congressional representation. While congresswomen's perspectives, experiences, and influence are neither uniform nor interchangeable, they strongly believe their presence matters in myriad ways, affecting congressional culture, priorities, processes, debates, and outcomes.

Download or read book Gender and Elections written by Susan J. Carroll and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-12-23 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The third edition of Gender and Elections offers a systematic, lively, and multifaceted account of the role of gender in the electoral process through the 2012 elections. This timely yet enduring volume strikes a balance between highlighting the most important developments for women as voters and candidates in the 2012 elections and providing a more long-term, in-depth analysis of the ways that gender has helped shape the contours and outcomes of electoral politics in the United States. Individual chapters demonstrate the importance of gender in understanding and interpreting presidential elections, presidential and vice-presidential candidacies, voter participation and turnout, voting choices, congressional elections, the political involvement of Latinas, the participation of African American women, the support of political parties and women's organizations, candidate communications with voters, and state elections. Without question, Gender and Elections is the most comprehensive, reliable, and trustworthy resource on the role of gender in US electoral politics.

Download or read book Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress written by Craig Volden and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-27 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores why some members of Congress are more effective than others at navigating the legislative process and what this means for how Congress is organized and what policies it produces. Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman develop a new metric of individual legislator effectiveness (the Legislative Effectiveness Score) that will be of interest to scholars, voters, and politicians alike. They use these scores to study party influence in Congress, the successes or failures of women and African Americans in Congress, policy gridlock, and the specific strategies that lawmakers employ to advance their agendas.

Download or read book Vote Her In written by Rebecca Sive and published by Agate Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-16 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A seasoned political analyst and strategist argues why the U.S. must elect a woman president now and lays out a plan of action to make it happen. Yes. She. Can. Vote Her In addresses the unrealized dream of millions of American women: electing our first woman president. It makes the case for the urgency of women attaining equal executive power at all levels, including the presidency, and offers a comprehensive strategy for every woman to be a part of this campaign—the most important of our lifetimes. Women are wildly underrepresented at every level of the U.S. government: federal, state, and local. Research has shown that women in executive government positions are far more likely than men to commit to policies that benefit women, girls, and other marginalized groups. So, after centuries of underrepresentation, it’s clear: our best bet for creating a system that is more fair, balanced, and just for everyone is electing our first Madam President—as soon as we can. Vote Her In is organized around the inspirational messages seen on protest signs carried at the record-breaking 2017 Chicago Women’s March. Part One outlines the case for why we need to mobilize now, and Part Two provides a clear strategy for how to do it. Each chapter in Part Two includes an action plan that women can complete to help each other (or themselves) attain political power and work toward electing our first woman president. Author Rebecca Sive draws on her decades of political experience to create this crucial book, which empowers every American man, woman, and child who cares about our nation’s democratic future to harness their collective power in the run-up to 2020 and, at last, form a more perfect union. Praise for Rebecca Sive’s Vote Her In “Rebecca astutely explores a critical question: If we believe in justice for every American, will we work to elect women to public offices across the country, including the presidency? We must!” —Lisa Madigan, former attorney general, Illinois “Sive takes her years of dedication to advancing women’s political careers and causes and turns them into a call to action?along with some of the practical tools needed for real and rapid progress.” —Katherine Baicker, dean, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy “Far too few women, especially women of color, have the opportunity to become political leaders. Let’s #VoteHerIn, as Sive’s inspirational guide so powerfully argues.” —Kimberly M. Foxx, state’s attorney, Cook County, Illinois

Download or read book Powerful Women written by Emily Ethridge and published by . This book was released on 2015-04-27 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a lone legislator in 1917 to power players today, women in Congress have changed the culture of U.S. politics. Forging alliances across regional and ideological lines, vying for prominent roles, and crafting new policy discussions, women in the House and Senate are clearing a new path.This compact CQ Roll Call guide highlights 25 of the most influential women who wield political power in the 114th Congress. Readers will get a brief history of how women have made their mark in Washington, D.C., along with exclusive personal profiles of leading women Democrats and Republicans including: --Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a favorite of many progressives who has been urged to run for president in 2016--Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House minority leader and the first female Speaker--Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., the "dean of Senate women" and the longest-serving woman in Congress--Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D.-N.Y., an almost unknown in her state when she took over Hillary Clinton's Senate seat in 2009, is now considered a future presidential candidate--Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., a rising voice on national security matters who gained national prominence in 2006 when she argued a parental notification abortion case before the Supreme Court--And a bonus section of five freshmen on the rise including: Republican Joni Ernst, the first woman elected to the Senate from Iowa and the first female combat veteran in the Senate, and Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, the first black Republican woman to serve in CongressThe profiles, which include a short biography and color photos, are based on interviews and analysis. "Powerful Women: The 25 Most Influential Women in Congress" is a must-have for history lovers, political buffs and anyone curious about power brokers and women leaders in America. About the author Staff writer Emily Ethridge has covered several aspects of Congress for CQ Roll Call from pharmaceuticals to appropriations and the budget process. Ethridge, a native of Charlotte, N.C., lives in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Johns Hopkins University.

Download or read book Women and Congress written by Karen O'Connor and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-11-12 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the effects women have had on Congress! Containing vital insights into the role women play in Congress, Women and Congress: Running, Winning, and Ruling is a unique look into the political standing of female candidates and congresswomen. Chapters written by noted political scientists consider the challenges of being a congresswoman in the male-dominated political arena, illustrate the fundamental and advanced techniques vital to winning an election, and show how congresswomen have been most effective once in office. Women and Congress brings you thoughtful discussions of: how campaign finance, speaking on the floor, introducing new legislation, and political action committees have contributed to the success of women politicians the effect of media on election outcomes, including the media’s portrayal of women and the ways female candidates present themselves to the media discrimination against women in media coverage differences in the ways Democratic and Republican women view political issues the political glass ceiling (how incumbency, gender, and strategy play a role in elections) and much more!

Download or read book A Woman s Place Is in the House written by Barbara Burrell and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2010-05-07 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this first comprehensive examination of women candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, Barbara Burrell argues that women are as successful at winning elections as men. Why, then, are there still so few women members of Congress? Compared to other democratically elected national parliaments, the U.S. Congress ranks very low in its proportion of women members. During the past decade, even though more and more women have participated in state and local governments, they have not made the same gains at the national level. A Woman's Place Is in the House examines the experiences of the women who have run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1968 through 1992 and compares their presence and performance with that of male candidates. The longitudinal study examines both general and primary elections and refutes many myths associated with women candidates including their ability to raise money and garner support from both interest groups and political parties. According to Burrell, election year 1992 was correctly dubbed the "Year of the Woman" in American politics--not so much because women overcame perceived barriers to being elected but because for the first time a significant number of women chose to run in primaries. Burrell's study examines the effects women are having on the congressional agenda and offers insight on how such issues as term limitations and campaign finance reform will impact on the election of women to Congress. Barbara Burrell (Ph.D. University of Michigan) is professor and director of graduate studies in the Political Science Department at Northern Illinois University where she teaches courses in public opinion, political behavior and women and politics.

Download or read book Women Transforming Congress written by Cindy Simon Rosenthal and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the first to one of the most recent--Jeannette Rankin (Montana, 1916) to Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York, 2001)--only two hundred women have ever served in the U.S. Congress. Have these relatively few women changed the predominantly masculine institution in which they serve? Have women as voters, activists, staff, and members made a difference? Edited by Cindy Simon Rosenthal, Women Transforming Congress examines the increasing influence of women on Congress and the ways in which gender defines and shapes Congress as a political institution. Written by women in politics and leading scholars on Congress, the essays in this volume go beyond the limitations of prior research through their diverse analytical approaches and singular historical breadth. The volume follows women on the campaign trail, in committee rooms, in floor debate, and in policy deliberations where previously the focus was on men’s interests and activities. A gallery of photographs showing notable women from their earliest years of involvement with Congress to the present complements the essays.

Download or read book The Women of the 116th Congress written by The New York Times and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A photographic celebration of the women of the 116th—the most diverse Congress in American history. The first woman Speaker of the House. The first female combat veteran. The first Native American women. The first Muslim women. The first openly gay member of the Senate. These are just some of the remarkable firsts represented by the women of the 116th Congress, the most diverse and inclusive in American history. Just over a century ago, Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first and only woman in the House of Representatives. By the time of the 116th Congress, a total of 131 were seated in both chambers. The 2018 midterm elections brought a seismic change—and this book, a collaboration between New York Times photo editors Beth Flynn and Marisa Schwartz Taylor and photographers Elizabeth D. Herman and Celeste Sloman—documents the women of the 116th Congress, photographed in the style of historical portrait paintings commonly seen in the halls of power to highlight the stark difference between how we’ve historically viewed governance and how it has evolved. Also featured are an illustrated timeline and list of firsts for women in Congress; “Her Vote, Her Voice” sections throughout that highlight historical moments in female politics; and an extended introduction and foreword by Roxane Gay. The Women of the 116th Congress is a testament to what representation in the United States looks like in the twenty-first century—and an inspiration for what it may look like in the years to come.

Download or read book The Firsts written by Jennifer Steinhauer and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An intimately told story, with detailed and thought-provoking portraits.” —The New York Times Book Review “The Firsts stands out as one of the most important and best reported books written during the extraordinary political chapter in which we are living.” —Nicolle Wallace, author and anchor, Deadline: White House on MSNBC NOW WITH UPDATED EPILOGUE In the November 2018 midterms, the greatest number of women in history were elected to Congress. It was a group diverse in background, age, experience, and ideology. From Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and “the Squad” to a group with national security backgrounds calling themselves “the Badasses,” from the first two Native American women to the first two Muslim women, all were swept into office on a wave of grassroots support. Here, New York Times reporter Jennifer Steinhauer chronicles these women’s first year in Congress, following their shift from trailblazing campaigns to the daily work of governance. In committee rooms, offices, visits back home with their constituents, and conversations in the halls of the Capitol, she probes the question: Will Washington, with its hidebound traditions and overpriced housing and petty power struggles, change the changemakers? Or will this Congress, which looks a little more like today’s America, truly be the start of something new? Vivid and smart, The Firsts delivers fresh details, inside access, historical perspective, and expert analysis as these women—inspiring, controversial, talented, and rebellious—do something surprising: make Congress essential again.

Download or read book Women in Congress 1917 2006 written by Matthew Andrew Wasniewski and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 1020 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains profiles, contextual essays, historical images, and appendices that provide information about the 229 women who have served in Congress from 1917 through 2006.

Download or read book Pearls Politics and Power written by Madeleine Kunin and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pearls, Politics, and Power is a call to action for new political engagement and leadership from the women of America. Informed by conversations with elected women leaders from all levels, former three-term Vermont Governor and Ambassador to Switzerland Madeleine M. Kunin asks: What difference do women make? What is the worst part of politics, and what is the best part? What inspired these women to run, and how did they prepare themselves for public life? How did they raise money, protect their families' privacy, deal with criticism and attack ads, and work with the good old boys? Kunin's core message is that America needs an infusion of new leadership to better address the major problems of our time. To see how women can achieve that goal, she combines her personal experience in politics; the lessons of past women's movements; the stories of young women today who have new ideas about their role in society; and interviews with a wide range of women in positions of power, looking for clues to their leadership, as well as the effects of gender stereotyping. She interviews Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, analyzes her campaign, and addresses the question: "Is the country ready?" Other interviewees include U.S. Representatives Loretta Sanchez, Linda Sanchez, Deborah Pryce, and Tammy Baldwin, and U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Amy Klobuchar, and Carol Moseley Braun, and Governors Kathleen Sibelius and Janet Napolitano. The next generation of women will be inspired to lead by seeing women like Nancy Pelosi wielding the gavel, and seeing themselves reflected in the portraits in statehouses, courthouses, corporate and university boardrooms, and the White House. Pearls, Politics, and Power will help ensure that this inspiration is not soured or deflected, but channeled into successful candidacies by America's leaders of tomorrow. What will it take for women to assume their rightful places in the political corridors of power?