A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen's Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters

The presence of women in Congress is at an all-time high -- approximately one of every five members is female -- and record numbers of women are running for public office for the 2018 midterms. At the same time, Congress is more polarized than ever, and little research exists on how women in Congress view their experiences and contributions to American politics today. 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. The book examines how gender interacts with political party, race and ethnicity, seniority, chamber, and district characteristics to shape women's representational influence and behavior, finding that party and race/ethnicity are the two most complicating factors to a singular narrative of women's congressional representation. While congresswomen's perspectives, experiences, and influence are neither uniform nor interchangeable, they strongly believe their presence matters in myriad ways, affecting congressional culture, priorities, processes, debates, and outcomes.

About the Author :
Kelly Dittmar is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rutgers-Camden and Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on gender and American political institutions with a particular focus on how gender informs campaigns and the impact of gender diversity among elites in policy and political decisions, priorities, and processes. She is the author of Navigating Gendered Terrain: Stereotypes and Strategy in Political Campaigns (Temple University Press). Kira Sanbonmatsu is Professor of Political Science and Senior Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Her research interests include gender, race/ethnicity, political parties, and American politics. She is the author of Where Women Run: Gender and Party in the American States (University of Michigan Press) and Democrats, Republicans, and the Politics of Women's Place (University of Michigan Press), and the coauthor of More Women Can Run: Gender and Pathways to the State Legislatures (Oxford University Press). Her work has also appeared in journals such as Political Research Quarterly and Journal of Women, Politics, & Policy. Susan J. Carroll is Professor of Political Science and Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers University and Senior Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. She is co-author of More Women Can Run: Gender and Pathways to State Legislatures (Oxford University Press, with Kira Sanbonmatsu) and co-editor of Gender and Elections: Shaping the Future of American Politics (Fourth Edition, Cambridge University Press, with Richard L. Fox). Carroll also has published numerous journal articles and book chapters focusing on women candidates, voters, elected officials, and political appointees in the United States.

Review :
"This book, which reveals personal interviews with three quarters of the women serving in Congress today, will inform and inspire the thousands of women enthusiastically taking up the challenge of running for local, state or federal office. I am certain that the future of our country will be brighter and our democracy more vibrant because of the inspiration provided by the exceptional women highlighted in this book." - Mary Landrieu, former U.S. Senator from Louisiana "This book's portrayal of women in Congress, powerfully conveyed in their own words, irrefutably demonstrates that the presence of women's voices is essential to a governing democracy. It illustrates how collectively their unique experiences and perspectives are invaluable to the effectiveness of the legislative process. What is also revealed is how women so often foster the collaboration and consensus-building that is essential to solving problems and producing results."- Olympia Snowe, former U.S. Senator from Maine "This is essential reading for anyone interested in making sense of how congress gets anything done in this era of extreme partisan polarization. Through the lens of women in congress, these scholars skillfully present the dogged persistence of those who are still determined to get things done, and are unwilling to forgo attempts at bi-partisanship, despite the backlash from going against the grain. Throughout, these scholars theorize the impact of congresswomen navigating the politics of polarization amidst the deeply ingrained gendered and racialized politics that mark the institution as well."- Wendy G. Smooth, Associate Professor, Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies and Political Science, The Ohio State University "Through extensive interviews Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll provide new insight into long standing questions about the impact of electing women to office. Leveraging the differences among women including race, ethnicity, and partisanship the authors tease out how women of differing backgrounds and political parties define representation and how their multiple identities influence their place in the institution of Congress and their ability to achieve their goals. This book will be required reading for students and scholars interested in representation, political parties, race, and gender."- Michele Swers Georgetown University