Research and Scholarship

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

  • Cracking the ‘Highest, Hardest Glass Ceiling’: Women as Presidential and Vice Presidential Contenders

    by Kelly Dittmar and Susan J. Carroll
    Book chapter in Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics (3rd Ed.), eds. Susan J. Carroll and Richard L. Fox. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 2013

    This chapter focuses on the history and treatment of women as presidential and vice-presidential candidates.  It begins with an overview of the pioneering women who have dared to step forward as presidential or vice-presidential candidates throughout American history.  It then turns to the 2008 campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, analyzing the ways that gender stereotypes influenced the strategies they employed, the media’s coverage of their campaigns, and public reactions to their candidacies. It also examines Michele Bachmann’s 2012 primary campaign, asking whether the pioneering candidacies of Clinton and Palin altered the path

    Book Chapter
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Federal Executive
  • Women’s Election to Office in the Fifty States: Opportunities and Challenges

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu
    Book chapter in Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics,
    Eds. Susan J. Carroll, CAWP, Rutgers University and Richard L. Fox, Union College, New York
    Cambridge University Press, 2013 Third Edition, pp. 265-287.

    Discussion of the barriers and opportunities women face in seeking state legislative and statewide executive office and the differences across states in women's officeholding. Party is a key factor in understanding women's candidacies and women's representation. 

    Book Chapter
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Political Parties
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Candidate Recruitment
    State Legislature
    Statewide Executive
  • Women Governors in 2014: Electoral Outlook and Historical Context

    by Kelly Dittmar
    11/11/13

    The prospects for electing more women governors will be considerably brighter in 2014 than was the case in 2013, according to a new research brief from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). In this edition of "A Closer Look," CAWP reports that with 36 gubernatorial races across the country, 28 women in 19 states have already indicated that they are likely candidates. In contrast, with just two gubernatorial races in 2013, the lone woman candidate was soundly defeated in New Jersey. The brief highlights key races, sets the 2014 elections in the context of past records for women candidates, and outlines the potential impact of

    Fact Sheet
    Research
    A Closer Look
    Statewide Executive
  • Primary Problems: Women Candidates in U.S. House Primaries

    by Kelly Dittmar
    10/3/2013

    Despite slight gains in congressional representation in 2012, women make up only 18.3% of the United States Congress. Research points to multiple reasons for women's political underrepresentation, including the need for more women to run. But when women do run, how do they fare?

    Fact Sheet
    Research
    A Closer Look
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Congress
  • More Women Can Run: Gender and Pathways to the State Legislatures

    by Susan Carroll and Kira Sanbonmatsu
    Oxford University Press, September 2013, 176 pages

    Analyzing nationwide surveys of state legislators conducted by CAWP, More Women Can Run challenges assumptions of a single model of candidate emergence with a relationally embedded model of candidacy. It reorients research on women's election to office and offers strategies for political practitioners concerned about women's political equality. Video of a book talk given by Carroll and Sanbonmatsu available here

    Book
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Candidates and Campaigns
    Candidate Recruitment
    State Legislature
  • The Candidacies of U.S. Women of Color for Statewide Executive Office

    by Kira Sanbonmatsu
    Paper presented at the American Political Science Association annual meeting, Chicago, IL

    Drawing on insights from gender, race, and intersectionality research, Sanbonmatsu examines the status of women of color and analyzes the role of parties in shaping their candidacies for statewide elective executive office. While women of color have made important inroads with respect to statewide officeholding, they remain underrepresented as candidates and officeholders in both parties.
     

    Conference Paper
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    Gender and Race/Ethnicity
    Statewide Executive
  • Women in State Government: Historical Patterns, Recent Trends, Future Prospects

    by Susan J. Carroll 
    Chapter in The Book of the States, edited by The Council of State Governments, 2013

    The movement of women into state-level offices has slowed in recent years after several decades of gains, and following the 2012 elections, the numbers of women in both state legislative and executive branch offices increased only slightly. Efforts to actively recruit women for elected and appointed positions will be critical in determining what the future holds for women in state government.

    Book Chapter
    Research
    CAWP Scholar
    State Legislature
    Statewide Executive