While there have been great strides in the representation of women in US politics in recent years – including the election of a woman as Vice President in 2020 – women account for less than 30 percent of legislators in Congress. So, what can we do to elect more women to office in the US? In this call to action, Samantha Pettey looks at what political science tells us that stops more women from running for office and gives advice on how to start to overcome these barriers, including overcoming lower self-perceptions of qualifications, asking more women to run for office, and better sharing household responsibilities between men and women.

The United States has come a long way since women’s suffrage in 1920 in electing women to public office. One hundred years later in 2020, the US elected a woman to the executive for the first time with Kamala Harris now serving as Vice President. Seeing women run for President has become more common the last few election cycles. Further, the latest research from the General Social Survey (GSS) finds that 86 percent of people surveyed think women are as emotionally suited for politics as men—this is a substantial improvement from the 53 percent in 1974, when the question was first asked, so, we as a society have come a long way in accepting women in politics.

Yet, women are still underrepresented in American politics, at all levels of government. Despite more women attending college and becoming teachers, businesspeople, and lawyers (fields that generally lend themselves to political positions, but are by no means requirements), women only account for about 28 percent of the US Congress and about 33 percent of State Legislatures. Further, a new study from the Center for American Women in Politics finds women only make up about a third of elected officials in cities with populations above 10,000 people.

Research-backed actions you can take to help more women into political office

Perhaps you are someone who looks at the numbers above and want to see more women in office but are not sure how to make this happen beyond intentionally voting for women during elections (And let’s be real—there’s more to a vote choice than gender, so just because you want more women in office does not mean you should only vote for women). What else can you do?

Political science research has focused on these questions and related puzzles. However, this research often stops short of reaching the public, perhaps because it does not often seem as immediately interesting or relevant as when experts are telling people whether that extra cup of coffee (or glass of red wine with dinner) is `good or bad’ for their health. Yet, the field has important findings that individuals can use to change behavior in their own lives and influence political outcomes they care about. So, what are some research-backed actions that individuals can take to help more women get elected in the future?

An often-underreported reason why so few women are currently in office is that fewer women actually run for office, or – as political scientists say ‘emerge’. Research on women candidate emergence, and political ambition more generally, was spearheaded by two political scientists—Jennifer Lawless and Richard Fox—in a 2012 survey using 2000/2001 data called the Citizen Political Ambition Panel Study Research and has been continued by many other scholars since. The field generally points to three challenges women face, at an individual level, when deciding to run for office: self-perceptions of qualifications, political recruitment, and household responsibilities.

Overcoming lower self-perceptions of qualifications 

Research finds that women view themselves as less qualified for political office, even when compared to men with similar qualifications. This barrier is a tough one to overcome because many of these perceptions are based on years of socialization, or the process in which we develop our attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and behaviors as citizens. Most socialization is passive, and these preferences pass to children from parents/guardians, teachers, and peers—with parents generally being the most influential. Therefore, changes in behavior now might not come to fruition until the youngest generation is able to participate politically.

One suggestion here is to talk about politics at home regularly, and expose young girls to the idea that politics, broadly speaking, is gender neutral. Reading books with children about government, and women in politics specifically, is also a great way to expose younger generations to politics (this series for toddlers has been a favorite in our household). Talking about specific women in office is also a good visual for young girls, especially if those women serve in your state. Research finds a Role Model effect where young girls in states with women in higher office are more likely to be politically involved later in life. Reminding the young girls in your life that politics is for everyone, while pointing out specific women in office, might help this emergence barrier fade overtime.

There is also evidence that suggests getting young kids, especially girls, involved in organized sports can lead to more political participation later in life. So, if you’re not comfortable or interested in talking about politics and government to your kids, try getting your kids involved in youth sports or other community-based organizations. Evidence also suggests that the more involved parents are with these youth leagues, the more likely their children will be engaged in politics, and broad community engagement, later in life.

If you are not around younger people or wonder what you can do in the more immediate term, this is an area for critical self-reflection of your own views. Sure, you can blame your parents for how they socialized you to think about politics, but also take some time to reflect. Research finds that voters hold stereotypes of what a candidate `should look like’. This research varies by party and gender, but a common finding is that voters associate politicians with more masculine traits. Given we are all socialized by generations older than us, we likely hold preferences around politicians, that may be gendered and different than our other current values. Breaking down stereotypes is much easier said than done, but we can all think critically about our preferences. Take some time to reevaluate your own perceptions of what politicians `should’ look like and see if you tend to identify those traits with a certain gender.

Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash

Additionally, if you are a woman reading this and you care about your local community, state, or country—you’re qualified, and you should run for office. Here’s some resources: She Should Run and Ready to Run are both non-partisan organizations with trainings, resources, and contacts to help get you started.

Asking more women to run for office

Political recruitment is the action of asking individuals to run for office. In the US, our system does not require a political party, group, or individual to ask someone to run at any level of government, but recruitment is a large, albeit informal part of our system. Parties play a big role here, especially when recruiting for higher office, like Congress. But much of the recruitment for Congress, by both parties, happens in the state legislatures. The short summary of the research here is that women across the board are not asked to run as often as men. A 2013 report on 18-24 year old college students finds there’s even a gap in whether a parent urges a child to run with 40 percent of men reporting at least one parent encouraged them to run for office versus only 29 percent of women. And asking a woman to run may also help overcome the previous `self-perception of qualifications’ barrier by signaling to a qualified women in your life that she should run for office because she is qualified. There’s plenty of local elections (many might be this year in your locality) where having more women on the ballot can make a difference.

In addition to actively asking women in your life to consider running for office, there are many organizations that help recruit and promote women candidates. If you have the financial means, you can find organizations that are doing this recruitment work already and would happily accept your donation. These organizations vary, with some focusing on women’s recruitment and training through a non-partisan lens, while others target women from specific parties and/or ideological leanings.

Better sharing of household responsibilities

Quite frankly, you do not need research to tell you dividing household responsibilities leads to conflict. If you have ever lived with someone, you likely know there is tension here and to complicate the matter, couples have different perceptions on the amount of time their spouse spends on said responsibilities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, women spent about 2.3 hours each day on household activities such as cleaning, cooking, etc., whereas men spent 1.5 hours each day in that same category. The gap in division of labor between men and women at home is also present when looking specifically at parents and time spent caring for and helping children (Note, this report does not specify or delineate if either or both adults in the household are working full time when noting time spent in categories).

Since women, on average, spend more time with these tasks, research finds that women see these responsibilities as an obstacle to running. So, this is another good time for some self-reflection. If you have a partner, talk more openly about these household responsibilities and whether they can be shared or adjusted. If you live with a qualified woman who can run for office, encourage her to run, and be more receptive to the idea of household responsibilities shifting. Bonus, if you have children in the house, ensure they are socialized to believe household responsibilities should be shared. Double bonus, if you have children in the house, share the household responsibilities, especially the ones you dislike, with them.

Do quotas help?

What else could help? At a policy level, gender quotas, or requiring a certain number of women in elected positions, is certainly an option and one that has worked successfully around the world. However, they are quite controversial and my hunch – which is purely anecdotal at this point – is that this type of measure does not currently have sufficient support among the American public. Further, the institutional design of Congress and the state legislatures would make for a very complicated battle between competing interests.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that there is a representation gap between the parties. Democratic women make up 71 percent of the women in Congress and about 66 percent of all women in the state legislatures. The Democratic Party has more women registered voters than the Republican party (45 percent v 36 percent, respectively), but that registration gap is not big enough to explain the gender gap in Congress and the Legislatures. Ample research covers this topic and the differences between the parties. I mention it as it may help how each of you –depending on your partisan leanings – go about these actionable items, including self-reflection and candidate recruitment.

TL;DR

Here’s a recap of the actionable takeaways, or the TL;DR. First, expose young people in your life, especially girls, to politics. Talk about politics at home regularly, and specific women in higher office. Second, encourage women in your life to run for office. Third, if you’re a woman reading this— consider running for office, you’re qualified. And finally, if you live with another adult in your household, have an honest conversation with your partner about time spent completing household responsibilities and childcare. Also, some states allow campaign funds to be used for childcare expenses. Check out Vote Mama Foundation for information about your state.

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