Impact of Women Public Officials
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 opportunities available to them.
Representation Matters: Women in the U.S. Congress
by Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, Susan J. Carroll, Debbie Walsh, and Catherine Wineinger
Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 2017, 56 pages.
This CAWP report takes stock of the experiences, perspectives, approaches, and influence of women in the U.S. Congress. Drawing upon the CAWP Study of Women in the 114th Congress, entailing original interviews with 83 of the 108 women who served as Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in the 114th Congress (2015-2016), it shows that women members on both sides of the aisle very much believe that their presence and their voices matter. The interviews provide considerable evidence of women's achievements despite the overall environment of gridlock and party polarization in which the women in Congress operate.
Women in State Government: Still Too Few
by Susan J. Carroll
in The Book of the States, Vol. 48 edited by The Council of State Governments (Lexington, KY: The Council of State Governments, 2016).
In recent years the movement of women into state-level offices has slowed after several decades of gains. Efforts to actively recruit women for elective and appointive positions will be critical in determining what the future holds for women in state government.
The Changing Face of Representation: The Gender of U.S. Senators and Constituent Communications
by Kim L. Fridkin and Patrick J. Kenney, Arizona State University
University of Michigan Press, 2014, 256 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. Fridkin and Kenney examine in detail senators' official websites, press releases and local news stories, as well as surveys of citizens to discern constituents' attitudes about their senators.
Women in State Government: Historical Overview and Current Trends
by Susan J. Carroll
Chapter in The Book of the States, edited by The Council of State Governments, 2004
Women have significantly increased their numbers among state government officials over the past several decades. However, despite a recent increase in the number of women governors, women’s progress, especially at the statewide elective and state legislative levels, has slowed. The future for women in state government would seem to depend, at least in part, upon the strength of efforts to actively recruit women for elective and appointive positions.
Are US Women Legislators Accountable to Women? The Complementary Roles of Feminist Identity and Women’s Organizations
by Susan J. Carroll
2003, 14 pages
This report was prepared by Susan J. Carroll, senior CAWP scholar, for a conference held at St. John's College, University of Manitoba, in May, 2003. While we have considerable evidence that women legislators give greater priority to women’s issues than their male colleagues, we know less about why they do so. What is the process underlying the substantive representation of women by women legislators? Why does the representation of women by women legislators happen? This paper examines these questions with particular attention to the role of women’s organizations and networks.
Women State Legislators: Past, Present, and Future
Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 2001, 14 pages
In 2001, CAWP surveyed female and male state legislators and compared the new data with prior CAWP research findings. The initial brief research reports include descriptions of women legislators today and comparisons with their male colleagues as well as with their 1988 counterparts.
The Impact of Women in Public Office
Edited by Susan J. Carroll
Indiana University Press, 2001, 256 pages
The studies in this book examine the impact of women public officials serving in various offices and locales at local, state, and national levels. Order from Amazon and a percentage of the sale goes to CAWP.
Legislating by and for Women: A Comparison of the 103rd and 104th Congresses
by Mary Hawkesworth, Debra Dodson, Katherine E. Kleeman, Kathleen J. Casey, and Krista Jenkins
Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 2000, 51 pages
This report examines the political work of women legislators in the 103rd and 104th congresses as they attempted to transform their commitment to represent women into law.
Welfare Reform in the 104th Congress: Institutional Position and the Role of Women
by Susan J. Carroll (with Kathleen J. Casey)
Book chapter in Women and Welfare: Theory and Practice in the United States and Europe, edited by Nancy J. Hirschmann and Ulrike Liebert (Rutgers University Press, 2001)