CAWP-Funded Research Shedding New Light on Women in Politics

In recent weeks, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, has published new briefs from recipients of our CAWP Research Grants. These briefs explore intersectional strategies for advocacy, electoral opportunities for Black women, and harassment faced by politicians on social media.
 

Intersectional Advocacy: Organizations Connecting Issues Together Through Policy – Margaret Perez Brower, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington

“If we are interested in supporting more equitable policymaking processes and outcomes, understanding the practice of intersectional advocacy is essential.”

Through interviews and surveys, Brower analyzes organizations that take an intersectional approach to policy advocacy by connecting multiple policy or issue areas that impact intersectionally marginalized groups. By examining the organizations that produce this sort of intersectional advocacy, she charts the characteristics that give rise to this approach, including having leaders that substantially represent intersectionally marginalized groups, prioritizing these groups in their work, and collaboration with broad networks.

Running for Justice? Understanding Black Women Judicial and Prosecutorial Candidates – Jamil Scott, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Georgetown University

“Practitioners should be mindful of encouraging more Black women to seek elected positions beyond legislative seats.”

Focusing on the underrepresentation of Black women as elected judges and prosecutors, Scott analyzes attitudes towards Black women as officeholders in these positions. Her findings show that there are no significant variations in how respondents viewed Black women judges and prosecutors compared with other groups. These results suggest that there is significant under-utilized opportunity for Black women to seek election in these positions, and both potential candidates and political practitioners should see electoral potential in waging campaigns for judicial and prosecutorial offices.

Intersectionality in User Replies to Congressional Candidates’ Tweets – Jeong Hyun Kim, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Yonsei University

“There are considerable racial differences in the toxicity of replies that candidates receive.”

By analyzing replies to Twitter posts, Kim finds that, while white women receive less toxic replies than their white male counterparts, women of color face more toxicity in some forms of online communication. This includes comparison to men of the same race/ethnicity group and in comparison to white women. She also calls for additional research with an intersectional framework into women politicians facing online toxicity and harassment.

About CAWP Research Grants

The Center for American Women and Politics, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, provides both small and large research grants that fund research that helps to identify and address barriers to and opportunities for women’s political power; they are possible thanks to the generosity and commitment of Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company. CAWP has thus far funded 21 projects through our CAWP Research Grants that address a wide array of issues facing women as voters, candidates, officeholders, and activists. Read previous briefs from grant recipients at the CAWP Grants Research Briefs page, and learn more about the program, and the 2020 and 2021 grantee cohorts, at the CAWP Research Grants page.