Women State Legislators and Representation

Abstract

Research on women legislators in the U.S. states has made significant progress toward understanding how women legislators affect public policies. We still lack, however, a clear picture of how variation in legislative structure affects such policy making. Through control of the legislative process and ideological structure, political parties can enhance or constrain women legislators’ efforts. Institutional configurations such as women’s caucuses and women’s power in committee leadership also affect the types of policies women legislators create. By examining these legislative variations, researchers and practitioners can understand more thoroughly the legislative conditions under which women’s representation of women’s issues is most effective.