Women, elections & representation

Abstract

The first women representatives in the United States were elected in 1894 when Colorado votes sent three women to the state legislature. Now, a century later, women almost everywhere are the majority of voters, but a distinct minority of elected officials. This discrepancy is a puzzle for those who thought democratic institutions would incorporate newly enfranchised women, and a problem for those working to expand democratic representation. Darcy, Welch, and Clark examine women candidates and candidacies in the United States and several other democratic nations. Their careful analysis reveals that male voters and political elites are not the barriers to women's election that common wisdom suggests. Instead, they find that a party's ability to determine candidate selection, along with election procedures that benefit incumbents, produces slow turnover of elected officials and few opportunities for new women candidates. In addition, the authors analyze nomination procedures and election systems to document both the conditions that lead political parties to nominate more women and the mechanisms that yield more victories by women candidates. Women, Elections, and Representation is an extensively revised and expanded edition of a successful text that provides a thorough and up-to-date account of research on women and politics. R. Darcy is Regents Professor of Politics and Statistics at Oklahoma State University. Susan Welch is a professor of political science and dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Pennsylvania State University. Janet Clark is a professor of political science at the University of Wyoming.

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