Research and Scholarship

CAWP research and research by CAWP scholars that addresses emerging questions about American women's political participation. 

  • Who Runs? The Masculine Advantage in Candidate Emergence

    by Sarah Oliver, Towson University and Meredith Conroy, California State University, San Bernadino
    University of Michigan Press, 2020, 168 pages

    This book is part of the CAWP Series in Gender and American Politics published by the University of Michigan Press in association with CAWP. Meredith Conroy and Sarah Oliver focus on the candidate emergence process (recruitment, perceived qualifications, and ambition), and investigate the affects of individuals’ gender personality on these variables to improve theories of women’s underrepresentation in government. 

    Book
    Research
    CAWP Series in Gender and American Politics
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Candidate Recruitment
  • The Paradox of Gender Equality: How American Women's Groups Gained and Lost Their Public Voice

    (New edition, with a new preface)
    by Kristin A. Goss,  Duke University (2020)
    University of Michigan Press, 2020, 264 pages

    This book is part of the CAWP Series in Gender and American Politics published by the University of Michigan Press in association with CAWP. Kristin A. Goss examines how women’s civic place has changed over the span of more than 120 years, how public policy has driven these changes, and why these changes matter for women and American democracy. 

    Book
    Research
    CAWP Series in Gender and American Politics
    Civic and Political Activism
  • Black Women in American Politics 2019

    by Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D.

    This update from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and the Higher Heights Leadership Fund outlines the status of Black women in American politics in the fall of 2019.

    Report
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    State Legislature
    Local
    Statewide Executive
    Congress
  • Unfinished Business: Women Running in 2018 and Beyond

    by Kelly Dittmar
    Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, 2019

    Gender disparities in American politics were not upended in a single cycle, but the 2018 election marked sites of progress as well as persistent hurdles for women candidates. Evaluating the 2018 election in the context of both past and present offers key insights into the gendered terrain that candidates will navigate in 2020 and beyond. In this report, CAWP combines its unmatched data with a review of the latest research on gender, candidacy, and representation to analyze an unprecedented year for women in American politics, identify sites for both destruction and durability of barriers to women, and offer a guide for gender and

    Report
    Research
    Candidates and Campaigns
    State Legislature
    Statewide Executive
    Congress
  • A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen's Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters

    by Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu and Susan J. Carroll
    Oxford University Press, 2018, 272 pages

    Drawing on personal interviews with over three-quarters of the women serving in the 114th Congress (2015-17), the authors analyze how these women navigate today's stark partisan divisions, and whether they feel effective in their jobs. Through first-person perspectives, A Seat at the Table looks at what motivates these women's legislative priorities and behavior, details the ways in which women experience service within a male-dominated institution, and highlights why it matters that women sit in the nation's federal legislative chambers. It describes the strategies women employ to overcome any challenges they confront as well as the

    Book
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Impact of Women Public Officials
    Congress
  • The Chisholm Effect: Black Women in American Politics 2018

    By Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D.

    This update from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and the Higher Heights Leadership Fund outlines the status of Black women in American politics at the start of 2018.

    Report
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Congress
    Statewide Executive
    State Legislature
    Local
  • Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics, 4th Edition

    Eds. Susan J. Carroll, CAWP, Rutgers University and Richard L. Fox, Loyola Marymount University
    Cambridge University Press, 2018 Fourth Edition, 319 pages 

    Book
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Political Parties
    Women Voters and the Gender Gap
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Federal Executive
    Congress
    Statewide Executive
    State Legislature
  • Women Candidates in Election 2018: One Year from Election Day

    by Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D.

    Has there been a “surge” of women running for office after election 2016? With one year until the 2018 elections, we took a look at the numbers of women candidates to assess the degree to which media narratives about, and anecdotal evidence of, women’s heightened political engagement have translated into bids for office. In comparing the numbers of women running this cycle with the number at this point in previous cycles, we find that there are more women running for office in 2018, but that the increases in candidacies vary by level of office. 

    Fact Sheet
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    A Closer Look
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Statewide Executive
    Congress
  • Black Women in American Politics: 2017 Status Update

    By Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D. 

    This update highlights the key wins for women of color overall – and Black women in particular - in election 2016. The data demonstrate that, even with the gains Black women saw at some levels of office in 2016, there is more work to do to ensure that Black women’s representation in elected office reflects their presence in American society. 

    Report
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Congress
    Statewide Executive
    State Legislature
    Local