Did Women's Suffrage Change the Size and Scope of Government?

• Published in: The Journal of political economy 1999-12, Vol.107 (6), p.1163-1198
• Main Authors: Lott, Jr, John R., Kenny, Lawrence W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alimony; Central government; Congressional voting; Economic theory; Election results; Estimated taxes; Expenditures; Gender differentiation; Government; Government spending; Growth; History; Political economy; Political power; Politics; Poll taxes; Presidential elections; Progressive taxes; Regression analysis; Revenue; Right to vote; Socioeconomics; State government; Studies; Suffrage; Taxation; Time series; Turn of the century; U.S.A; United States; Voter behavior; Voter turnout; Voters; Voting rights; Women; Women and politics; Womens studies; Womens suffrage; World War I
• ISSN: 0022-3808; 1537-534X
• DOI: 10.1086/250093

This paper examines the growth of government during this century as a result of giving women the right to vote. Using cross‐sectional time‐series data for 1870–1940, we examine state government expenditures and revenue as well as voting by U.S. House and Senate state delegations and the passage of a wide range of different state laws. Suffrage coincided with immediate increases in state government expenditures and revenue and more liberal voting patterns for federal representatives, and these effects continued growing over time as more women took advantage of the franchise. Contrary to many recent suggestions, the gender gap is not something that has arisen since the 1970s, and it helps explain why American government started growing when it did.