Personal Relationships and Legislative Power: Male and Female Perceptions

Abstract

Interviews with men and women legislators and lobbyists in two southern states suggest certain variations by gender in perceptions of legislative effectiveness. Like studies made nearly 20 years ago, these interviews indicate that women are far more likely than men to recount their difficulty in forging collegial bonds. Women, much more than their male colleagues, stress the need to project toughness, to discount any female emotionalism, and to behave according to gender-based double standards of social conduct. As women become more numerous in state legislatures and as legislatures, including those in this study, move toward conducting themselves in a more issue-oriented and professional manner, gender differences are expected to decrease.

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