It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for OfficeThis important work constitutes a systematic, nationwide empirical account of the effects of gender on political ambition. Based on data from the Citizen Political Ambition Study, a national survey of 3,800 "potential candidates" conducted by the authors, it relates these findings: --Women, even at the highest levels of professional accomplishment, are significantly less likely than men to demonstrate ambition to run for elective office. --Women are less likely than men to be recruited to run for office. --Women are less likely than men to consider themselves "qualified" to run for office. --Women are less likely than men to express a willingness to run for a future office. According to the authors, this gender gap in political ambition persists across generations, despite contemporary society's changing attitudes towards female candidates. While other treatments of gender in the electoral process focus on candidates and office holders, It Takes a Candidate makes a unique contribution to political studies by focusing on the earlier stages of the candidate emergence process and on how gender affects the decision to seek elective office. |
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Contents
Still a Mans World? I | 1 |
Explaining Womens Emergence in the Political Arena | 16 |
The Gender Gap in Political Ambition | 37 |
Family | 51 |
Eligible Candidates Family Structures and Roles | 58 |
Wife Mother and Candidate? Family Roles | 64 |
Are Times Changing? Generational Differences | 70 |
The Impact of SelfPerceived Qualifications | 96 |
Explanations for the Gender Gap in SelfPerceived | 102 |
Conclusion | 116 |
Gender and the Future of Electoral Politics | 145 |
The Citizen Political Ambition Study Sample | 157 |
The Interview Questionnaire | 171 |
181 | |
195 | |
Other editions - View all
It Still Takes A Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office Jennifer L. Lawless,Richard L. Fox Limited preview - 2010 |
It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office Jennifer L. Lawless,Richard L. Fox Limited preview - 2005 |
It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office Jennifer L. Lawless,Richard L. Fox No preview available - 2005 |
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active actual arena asked assess attorney campaign candidate emergence process career chapter compared Congress consider running considering a candidacy continue decided decision Democratic discussed effect elective office electoral eligibility pool eligible candidates encouragement enter environment equally evidence example experience explained face female future gender differences gender gap hold House household important increasing Indicates individuals institutions interest interviewed issues leaders legislative less levels majority male means never Note organizations parents participation party patterns percent percentage points political ambition positions Predicted presented probability professional public office qualified questions race received recruitment regression Representatives Republican respondents role run for office sample seek Senate serve significant similar socialization stage standard statistically structures success suggestion survey Table thought tion uncover variables woman women candidates
Popular passages
Page 181 - Not All Cues Are Created Equal: The Conditional Impact of Female Candidates on Political Engagement.