It takes a candidate : why women don't run for office / Jennifer L. Lawless, Richard L. Fox.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lawless, Jennifer L., 1975- author.

Fox, Richard L., 1967- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women--Political activity--United States.

Women.

Political participation--United States.

Political participation.

Women political candidates--United States.

Women political candidates.

Women--United States--Attitudes.

Sex role--United States.

Sex role.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 203 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

It Takes a Candidate serves as the first systematic, nationwide empirical account of the manner in which gender affects political ambition. Based on data from the Citizen Political Ambition Study, a national survey conducted on almost 3,800 'potential candidates', we find that women, even in the highest tiers of professional accomplishment, are substantially less likely than men to demonstrate ambition to seek elected office. Women are less likely than men to be recruited to run for office. They are less likely than men to think they are 'qualified' to run for office. And they are less likely than men to express a willingness to run for office in the future. This gender gap in political ambition persists across generations. Despite cultural evolution and society's changing attitudes toward women in politics, running for public office remains a much less attractive and feasible endeavor for women than men.

Contents:

1. Electoral politics : still a man's world?

Representation, equality, and the study of gender in electoral politics

Traditional gender socialization in the context of U.S. politics : the central argument and its implications

Traditional family role orientations

Masculinized ethos

Gendered psyche

Organization of the book

2. Explaining women's emergence in the political arena

Women and elective politics : the numbers

Existing explanations for women's underrepresentation

Societal rejection and cultural evolution : the discrimination explanation

Institutional inertia : the incumbency explanation

The candidate eligibility pool : the pipeline explanation

The missing piece : developing a theory of gender and political ambition

The citizen political ambition study

3. The gender gap in political ambition

Very much the same : gender, political participation, and political interest

Very much different : gender and political ambition

Stage one : considering a candidacy

Stage two : deciding to enter the first race

The "winnowing effect"

The gender gap in elective office preferences

Conclusion

4. Barefoot, pregnant, and holding a law degree : family dynamics and running for office

Raised to be a candidate?

Eligible candidates' family structure and roles

Wife, mother, and candidate? : family roles as impediments to political ambition

Are times changing? : generational differences in political ambition

5. Gender, party, and political recruitment

Eligible candidates' political attitudes and partisanship

Who gets asked to run for office?

Political recruitment and considering a candidacy

6. "I'm just not qualified" : gendered self-perceptions of candidate viability

The impact of self-perceived qualifications on political ambition

Explanations for the gender gap in self-perceived qualifications

The sexist environment

Gender differences in defining political qualifications

Different yardsticks for gauging political qualifications

7. Taking the plunge : deciding to run for office

Why would anyone run for office? : negative perceptions of the electoral environment and campaign process

Gender and the decision to enter a race

A side note on political culture and "structural" factors

Prospective interest in running for office

8. Gender and the future of electoral politics

Summarizing the findings and forecasting women's representation

Recasting the study of gender and elections

Appendix A. The citizen political ambition study sample design and data collection

Appendix B. The survey

Appendix C. The interview questionnaire

Appendix D. Variable coding.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-193) and index.

ISBN:

9781107155923

1107155924

9781280431937

1280431938

9780511790898

0511790899

9780511182815

0511182813

9780511139215

0511139217

9780511140884

0511140886

9780511308871

0511308876

9780511140112

0511140118

OCLC:

71815762