CAWP History: Over 50 Years of Quality, Timely Research on Women in U.S. Politics

When the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) was established in 1971, women held just two seats in the U.S. Senate and 13 in the House of Representatives, and no state had a woman governor. Today, there are 26 women in the Senate, 124 women in the House, and a record 14 women governors. Beyond the numbers, for more than 50 years CAWP research has illuminated women’s unique experiences, challenges, and impact in U.S. politics. 

See below for highlights of our timely, quality, and important research. Explore more here. 

Early CAWP Programming and Research

• In May 1972, CAWP held its first convening for elected women: the 1972 Conference for Women State Legislators.
• The 1972 Conference for Women State Legislators became the basis for political scientist Jeane Kirkpatrick’s book Political Woman.
• In 1977, CAWP published the first of two editions of Women in Public Office: A Biographical Directory and Statistical Analysis.

Women as Candidates

• In 1981, In the Running: The New Woman Candidate by CAWP’s founding director, Ruth B. Mandel, was published.
• In 1985, CAWP Senior Scholar Susan J. Carroll published Women as Candidates in American Politics based on her national survey of women candidates, examining women’s experiences, ambition, priorities, and success as candidates.
• Since 2016, CAWP has issued post-election reports that analyze how women fared as candidates and the role of gender overall in state and federal elections. Our next report will cover women in election 2026.  

Women’s Routes to Office

• In 1983, CAWP issued Women’s Routes to Elective Office: A Comparison with Men.
• In 2009, this theme was explored further in Poised to Run: Women’s Pathways to the State Legislatures. 

Black Women in U.S. Politics

• In 1983, CAWP published Black Women’s Routes to Elective Office: An Exploratory Essay as part of our report Women's Routes to Elective Office.
• Since 2014, CAWP has partnered with Higher Heights for America to regularly publish reports on the Status of Black Women in American Politics. Our most recent report was published in 2025. 

The Impact of Women in State Legislatures

• In 1991, CAWP published The Impact of Women in Public Office, a series of reports investigating the differences women make as officeholders on public policy and political processes.
• In 2001, CAWP replicated this survey of state legislators and published the findings in Women State Legislators: Past, Present, and Future. 

The Impact of Women in Congress

• In 2001, CAWP offered an in-depth analysis of the differences women make in the U.S. Congress in Legislating by and For Women: A Comparison of the 103^rd and 104^th Congresses.
• In 2017, CAWP released a replication of the model and focus of the 2001 study in the report Representation Matters: Women in the U.S. Congress. 

Women Appointees

• In 1983, CAWP published two reports on women appointees at state and federal levels: Women Appointed to the Carter Administration: A Comparison with Men and Women Appointed to State Government: A Comparison with All State Appointees.
• In 2023, CAWP received support from the New Jersey Legislature to analyze gender and racial diversity among New Jersey’s appointed officials in From Data to Diversity: The Demographics of New Jersey’s Appointed Officials.

Women, Money, and Politics

• In 1983, CAWP published its earliest work on women, money, and politics in Women’s PACs.
• In 2014, CAWP in partnership with the National Council for Research on Women and the Center for Responsive Politics released the report, Money in Politics with a Gender Lens.
• In 2020, CAWP Senior Scholar Kira Sanbonmatsu published the first in a series of CAWP reports on women, money, and politics. This work continues as part of CAWP’s ongoing election analysis.

Setting Research Agendas

• In 1994, CAWP published Women and American Politics: A Research Agenda for the 21st Century, which was based on a convening of 79 scholars, researchers, political practitioners, and activists
• In 2003, CAWP Senior Scholar Susan J. Carroll took a similar approach to present a new research agenda in Women and American Politics: New Questions, New Directions.
• In 2023, CAWP called on scholars and practitioners alike to expand sites for defining and measuring women’s political power in Rethinking Women’s Political Power, drawing upon interviews with 192 political actors across five states.