TY - JOUR
T1 - Why so few (Republican) women? Explaining the partisan imbalance of women in the U.S. Congress
AU - Thomsen, Danielle M.
PY - 2015/5/1
Y1 - 2015/5/1
N2 - This article examines why the percentage of Democratic women in Congress has increased dramatically since the 1980s while the percentage of Republican women has barely grown. The central claim is that ideological conformity with the party influences the decision to run for office, and I suggest that partisan polarization has discouraged ideological moderates in the pipeline from pursuing a congressional career. The findings have gendered implications because, first, Republican women in the pipeline have historically been to the left of their male counterparts, and second, there is a dearth of conservative women in the pipeline.
AB - This article examines why the percentage of Democratic women in Congress has increased dramatically since the 1980s while the percentage of Republican women has barely grown. The central claim is that ideological conformity with the party influences the decision to run for office, and I suggest that partisan polarization has discouraged ideological moderates in the pipeline from pursuing a congressional career. The findings have gendered implications because, first, Republican women in the pipeline have historically been to the left of their male counterparts, and second, there is a dearth of conservative women in the pipeline.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84929572599&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1111/lsq.12075
DO - 10.1111/lsq.12075
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84929572599
VL - 40
SP - 295
EP - 323
JO - Legislative Studies Quarterly
JF - Legislative Studies Quarterly
SN - 0362-9805
IS - 2
ER -