Change and Continuity among Women State Legislators: Evidence from Three Decades

Previous literature documents the steady increase in the number of women serving in state legislatures as well as the lingering differences in demographic characteristics and policy priorities between male and female officeholders. Yet, this research does not address the question of evolutionary cha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political research quarterly 1997-03, Vol.50 (1), p.137-151
Main Authors: Dolan, Kathleen, Ford, Lynne E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Change
Comparative studies
Demography
FEMALE SEX
FEMININE POLITICS
Gender roles
History
LEGISLATIVE BODIES
Legislator
Legislators
Legislatures
MALE SEX
Men
Political candidates
Political parties
Politicians
Politics
State Government
State legislators
U.S.A
United States
Women
Womens studies
Working women
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Summary:Previous literature documents the steady increase in the number of women serving in state legislatures as well as the lingering differences in demographic characteristics and policy priorities between male and female officeholders. Yet, this research does not address the question of evolutionary change among women state legislators themselves. Are women serving in contemporary state legislatures different from their female colleagues of previous decades in the personal and political characteristics and legislative agendas they bring to office? To answer this question, we use data collected on all women state legislators serving in 15 states in 1972, 1982, and 1992 and a stratified random sample of male legislators serving in the same chambers during the same time periods. This two-stage analysis allows us first to focus on the changing profile of women state legislators; and secondly, to consider whether these changes are unique to women or common to all state legislators. The analyses confirm the hypothesis that the profile of the "typical woman state legislator" has changed significantly in the last three decades.
ISSN:1065-9129
1938-274X
DOI:10.1177/106591299705000107