Women’s Representation in Twenty-first Century

United States Federal Office

Julie Wang
Period 5 Intern/Mentor
January 12th, 2018
 For most American History students, 1920 is a year of great significance. But more than

just a date that is memorized by high school students, 1920 is remembered as a pivotal point in

history: the year that women were granted suffrage in the United States. Thus, students and

engaged citizens alike may be shocked to learn that the first woman was elected to U.S. Congress

four years prior to this momentous date. Jeannette Rankin, a Congresswoman from Montana,

was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916; but even more astounding may be the fact

that to this day, Rankin remains the only woman elected to Congress from the state of Montana

(“Jeannette Rankin”). This fact may seem more comprehensible with the context that even

though women gained the right to vote in America nearly a hundred years ago, women only

make up 19.4 percent of the 538 members of Congress today (“Women in the U.S. Congress

2018). While some may cite the issues of maternity leave and gender roles imposed on women as

leading causes of this representation gap, one fact holds true: women in twenty-first century

America are not being empowered to claim their full political potential. This idea is now

popularly known as the “confidence gap,” or what is commonly believed to be the stark

difference between rates at which men and women express interest in running for office (Why

Women in Politics?). In recent years, progress to engage women in federal office has even been

slowed, as America’s highest glass ceiling has yet to be broken (Carroll). Fortunately, the issue

of this political gender gap is not an enigma. By identifying the factors that deter women from

running for public office and recognizing the benefits of women in politics, improvements can be

made. American leaders in education and advocacy should support women’s participation

in United States politics by spearheading the movement to educate girls about political

activism at a younger age, developing more comprehensive leadership training programs

for women, and investing resources into greater financial support for female candidates of

all parties.

Although it is evident to most that the gender gap in Congress poses a variety of setbacks

for American society, it is perhaps even more significant to note the benefits that women can

bring to politics, and thus positively impact their local, regional, and national communities.

According to the Eagleton Institute of Politics, women are not only able to “bring different

perspectives than men to their work in Congress,” but this perspective also brings a “gender

lens” on different issues. In particular, a female perspective on legislation that concerns women’s

issues can produce more well-rounded and well-informed legislation (Why Women in Politics?).

Furthermore, in line with this point, research from the Eagleton Institute cites that women are

more likely to “claim credibility on issues that most directly affect women.” This leads to the

assumption that without as many women in Congress, women’s issues, such as reproductive

health rights and maternity leave, may be less likely to be introduced to the floor (Dittmar). The

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) created a similar study advocating

for equitable participation of women in public service. In this study, the NDI shows that women

are more inclined to work across party lines and embrace bipartisanship. The NDI’s research

provides one particular example: while “twenty-five percent of women lawmakers in the U.S.

cite women from the opposition party as key supporters of their top legislation,” only seventeen

percent of male legislators hold the same attitude. By working across party lines, politicians can

avoid political gridlock and pass legislation that best represents the interests of the whole, rather

than an elite, polarized group.

In recent years, there has been an increasing body of research focused on the factors that

deter women from running for public office, especially of those positions at the federal level. At
the root of this problem is the fact that women aren’t “getting on the ballot in the first place”

(Kurtzleben). This fact is almost directly related to the concept of the confidence gap. According

to a survey conducted by American University for Politico Magazine, women are much less

likely to say that they are able to run for office: 24% of Democratic women compared to 35% for

Democratic men, and only 20% of Republican women compared to 41% of Republican men.

Today, the confidence gap is often attributed to the fact that are insufficient resources for women

to explore the field of politics—from a dearth of parental encouragement at a young age to

inadequate leadership training programs (Lawless and Fox). For example, author Janie Boschma

writes in Politico that this gap is evident when “both college-aged men and women report being

encouraged to run for student government at nearly equal rates, but family and friends were far

more likely to encourage men to consider a run for political office later in life.” Researchers

Jennifer Lawless and Richard Fox at the American University support this sentiment, writing in

their research publication “Girls Just Wanna Not Run” that parents are more likely to believe that

politics is a more socially acceptable career path for young men and that parental encouragement

in fact is one of the most significant factors that can influence a woman’s decision to run for

office later in life. Even without parental influence however, young women are less likely to

receive encouragement from anyone to run for office, and this situation is exacerbated by the fact

that women are less likely to have been exposed to political discussion in their youth (Lawless

and Fox). Unfortunately, the confidence gap is perpetuated across generations, as the presence of

visible female role models is another significant factor that encourages young women to express

interest in political office (Campbell and Wolbrecht). Thus, it would become increasingly

difficult to break out of a cycle of women’s political apathy if women continue to refuse the

opportunity to run for office.

 In order to address the various factors associated with the confidence gap in young

women today, American leaders in education and political advocacy must begin spearheading

the movement to begin engaging girls in the field of political activism at a younger age. To do

this, leaders should especially focus on extracurricular programs that immerse women in the

political world. In a “call to action” in response to research presented in “Girls Just Wanna Not

Run,” Richard Fox and Jennifer Lawless continue to write that “organizational efforts to engage

young women politically can only help close the gender gap in political ambition.” Various

existing programs have already presented tangible results for women in the past few years. One

example is that of the Center for American Women and Politics’ NEW Leadership Program. In

the NEW Leadership program, college women are engaged in a six-day training institute that

exposes them to the world of civic engagement and introduces them to leaders in the public

sector (Stock). After the program’s end, the center conducted a survey in which participants

reported that not only were they “more likely to indicate that they would consider running for

office,” they also reported increased levels of likelihood for political activism, including

lobbying their elected officials and identifying other ways in which they can participate in

politics (Stock). The program even conducted long-term studies, where alumni who had

participated in the program ten years prior, were interviewed. In the findings of this survey,

alumni expressed significantly increased interest in politics (Stock). In addition to introducing

college women to politics through extracurricular programs, engaging high school women in

political advocacy programs can be equally effective in inspiring women to run for office.

Similar to the NEW Leadership model of residential training bootcamps for college women,

organizations should consider the value of summer camps and internship placement

opportunities for women in high school. The nonpartisan nonprofit Running Start is one
exemplary example of an organization that has taken the lead on this effort; by offering a variety

of summer camp and internship program opportunities for young women as young as thirteen, an

overwhelming proportion of the participants have expressed interest in running for political

office upon completion of their respective programs, and with a confidence that they did not

previously hold (Running Start Online). Many of Running Start alumni have gone on to even

actually run for office, including Allyson Carpenter, the youngest elected official to the D.C.

Neighborhood Advisory Commission (Running Start Online). In addition to summer camps and

extracurricular programs alike, organizations should also consider programs that encourage

partnerships between parents and their daughters. She Should Run, a non-partisan 501(c)(3)

nonprofit empowering young women to run for office, launched an “incubator course for parents

to use with their daughters” to inspire interest in politics (“Girls and Leadership Research”). This

program was developed in light of research conducted in partnership with Decision Analyst that

revealed additional support for existence of the confidence gap and the importance of parent

encouragement (“Girls and Leadership Research”). Programs like these directly address the fact

that while parents are often the leading influencers of their children, they are currently not

reaching their daughters in terms of fostering political ambition.

However, in addition to the support for increased leadership training programs especially

for younger women, nonprofit leaders must be mindful of providing training that is directly

applicable to a woman’s political career. Thus, this solution addresses causes besides the

confidence gap related to early childhood education and lack of encouragement or female role

models; instead, it responds to the reality of an overarching concern of women that they simply

are not qualified to run for office (Fox and Lawless). In particular, training programs should

provide constructed practice on key skills required to run for office, from fundraising, media
training, public policy analysis, and more. As a model for more effective training programs, one

can look to Emerge Maryland, which holds six-month training programs to ensure that Maryland

women are prepared to run for and hold political office (Emerge Maryland). The training focuses

on the following areas: public speaking and communication, fundraising, media and messaging,

networking, campaign strategy, field operations, and more (Emerge Maryland). By focusing on a

diverse range of areas related to the work of a politician and recruiting qualified campaign

consults, advisors, and staff from across the country, Emerge is paving the way for nonprofits in

other areas of the United States to provide comprehensive training for women. For example,

Holyoke City Councilor Rebecca Lisi describes the curriculum in the following way: “It breaks

down the process of running for office into simple and manageable steps, while building

participants’ confidence and abilities with concrete skills that help women win” (Emerge

Maryland). With programs that teach concrete skills, preparedness is no longer a factor that can

control women’s desire to run for office. Furthermore, these skills-building programs are

especially important in a local context, as state legislatures are often direct pipelines to Congress

(Berry). Giving women the tangible skills to run at the local level, many professionals believe,

will prepare them for a life in politics (Berry).

In order to ensure that more women are on the ballots, leaders must also face the looming

burden of fundraising for campaign activities. This solution specifically addresses the common

belief women often hold that “supportive campaign infrastructure” is one of the top challenges to

running for office (Dittmar). According to a study conducted by Political Parity, there is

evidence that while women are generally successful in campaign fundraising, women are

disadvantaged at the Congressional level. For example, studies have found that more individual

donors contribute to any given female campaign, but this presents the difficulty of having to
spend more time securing multiple individual contributions (“Money and Women Candidates”).

Furthermore, a unique challenge in fundraising is presented to Republican women, as the

“majority of support from women’s PACs flows to Democratic women” (“Money and Women

Candidates”). For example, political action committees (PACs) that support Democratic women,

such as EMILY’s List, are much better-known and well-established than PACs that support

Republican women (“Money and Women Candidates”). Thus, in order to truly promote the

equitable representation of women in Congress, political activists and leaders of nonprofits such

as She Should Run and Running Start must bring greater visibility to conservative campaigns as

well, such as VIEW PAC. Similarly, as minority women are the most underrepresented group in

Congress (“Women of Color in Congress”), PACs that support female candidates should adopt

the goal of achieving increased levels of intersectionality and providing support for marginalized

groups. Outside of PACs however, influential donors in the corporate world should also adopt

the cause of women’s representation in federal office by identifying and donating to promising

female candidates each election cycle as a part of their corporation’s charitable missions.

For hundreds of years, women have championed movements of massive political reform

in the United States. From the Progressive era reformers, Jane Addams and Ida B. Wells, to the

twenty-first century’s leading women, Kirsten Gillibrand and Susan Collins, women have fought

tirelessly to level the playing field in American politics and raise their voices to be heard in

Congress. But while 50.8% of the United States population consists of women and only 19.4% of

women occupy seats in Capitol Hill, a grave situation is presented to our society. As proven by

the National Democratic Institute, when women are at the decision-making table, there is

increased bipartisanship; more collaborative legislation; greater response to constituent concerns;

augmented citizen confidence in democracy. However, none of this is a reality without women
on the ballots. When women are told that they cannot run for office—or even simply denied the

words “you should run”—the disparity between men and women in federal office is greater than

ever. Fortunately, however, American leaders in political advocacy are beginning to recognize

the urgency to empower female candidates in America’s male-dominated political landscape.

With organizations like Emerge Maryland and Running Start, women are now championed as the

political leaders of their generation. But with our current state of affairs, work still exists to be

done—starting from the creation of early political activism programs for young women. With

this as a foundation for improvement, nonprofit leaders must recognize the need to develop more

comprehensive leadership training programs for women that provide concrete skills. Lastly, one

cannot deny the “power of the purse,” and invest resources into greater financial support for not

just Democratic, but Republican women and underrepresented minorities as well. With these

cross-generational partnerships and an ambitious dedication to the cause, perhaps there will

come a day where American citizens can proudly boast of a “fifty-fifty” Congress.

Bibliography

Berry, Deborah Barfield. “Nation, State Groups Training Women to Run for Office.” USA
Today,
30 Oct. 2015, usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/10/30/national-state-groups-
training
-women-run-office/74867260. Accessed 3 Jan 2018.

Boschma, Janie. “Why Women Don’t Run for Office.” Politico, 12 Jun 2017. politico.com/
interactives/2017/Women-rule-politics-graphic. Accessed 31 Dec 2017.

Campbell, David, and Wolbrecht Christina. "See Jane Run: Women Politicians as Role Models
for Adolescents." Journal of Politics, vol. 68, no. 2, May 2006, pp. 233-47.

Carroll, Susan J. "Women in State Government: Historical Overview and Current Trends." Book
of the States, 2005, pp. 471-78.

Dittmar, Kelly. Representation Matters: Women in the U.S. Congress. Rutgers Eagleton Institute
of Politics, 2017.
Emerge Maryland. Emerge Maryland, emergemaryland.ngpvanhost.com. Accessed 31 Dec.
2017.

Fox, Richard and Lawless, Jennifer. “Girls Just Wanna Not Run: The Gender Gap in Young
Americans’ Political Ambition.” American University School of Public Affairs.

“Girls and Leadership Research.” She Should Run, sheshouldrun.org/girlsresearch. Accessed 28

Dec. 2017.

“Jeannette Rankin.” U.S. Senate, senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Jeannette_Rankin.htm.

Accessed 21 Dec. 2017.

Kurtzleben, Danielle. “Almost 1 in 5 Congress Members Are Women. Here’s How Other Jobs
Compare.” NPR, 11 June 2016, npr.org/2016/06/11/481424890/even-with-a-female-
presumptive-nominee-women-are-underrepresented-in-politics. Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.

“Money and Women Candidates.” Political Parity, politicalparity.org/wp-content/uploads/2015

/08/Parity-Research-Women-Money.pdf. Accessed 31 Dec 2017.

Running Start Online. Running Start, runningstartonline.org. Accessed 30 Sept. 2017.

Stock, Dayna M. Making Politics Personal: Leadership Programs as a Tool for Developing
Political Interest and Efficacy in Young Women. 2012. U of Missouri-St. Louis, PhD
dissertation. Education Resources Information Center. Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.

Why Women in Politics? National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. Peace Is Loud.
Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.

“Women in the U.S. Congress 2018.” Center for American Women and Politics,
cawp.rutgers.edu/women-us-congress-2018. Accessed 1 Jan. 2018.

“Women of Color in Congress.” United States House of Representatives, history.house.gov/

Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Data/Women-of-Color-in-Congress.
Accessed 31 Dec. 2017.