The Partisan Gap: Why Democratic Women Get Elected but Republican Women Don't

WINNER OF THE 2022 VICTORIA SCHUCK AWARD, GIVEN BY THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Why Democratic women far outnumber Republican women in elective offices From Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren to Stacey Abrams and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, women around the country are running in—and winning—elections at an unprecedented rate. It appears that women are on a steady march toward equal representation across state legislatures and the US Congress, but there is a sharp divide in this representation along party lines. Most of the women in office are Democrats, and the number of elected Republican women has been plunging for decades. In The Partisan Gap, Elder examines why this disparity in women's representation exists, and why it's only going to get worse. Drawing on interviews with female office-holders, candidates, and committee members, she takes a look at what it is like to be a woman in each party. From party culture and ideology, to candidate recruitment and the makeup of regional biases, Elder shows the factors contributing to this harmful partisan gap, and what can be done to address it in the future. The Partisan Gap explores the factors that help, and hinder, women's political representation.

About the Author :
Laurel Elder is Professor of Political Science at Hartwick College in New York. She is the co-author of American Presidential Candidate Spouses: The Public's Perspective and The Politics of Parenthood: Causes and Consequences of the Politicization and Polarization of the American Family.

Review :
"Laurel Elder's excellent book authoritatively shows how structural forces and the realignment of the parties along racial, ideological, and regional lines both promotes the advancement of Democratic women in office and hinders such opportunities for Republican women. Her approach also teaches us much about the state of the two parties in America today and makes a convincing case for why the voices of all women are needed in government. A must-read!" - Melissa Deckman, author of Tea Party Women: Mama Grizzlies, Grassroots Leaders, and the Changing Face of the American Right "The Partisan Gap is a most comprehensive, insightful and historical exploration of partisanship and women's quests for political office in the United States. Laurel Elder describes and explains the growth in the partisan gap in women's election to state legislative and congressional office, with Democratic women advancing their numbers and representation while Republican women 's numbers have stagnated. This book expertly explains the structural forces that have reshaped the American party system resulting in this contemporary partisan gender gap." - Barbara C. Burrell, author of The Women of 2018: The Pink Wave in the US House Elections ... and Its Legacy in 2020 "In this book, Laurel Elder shines a light on a phenomenon that hasn't received enough attention. Her meticulous documentation of the partisan gender gap in political representation establishes a new standard of scholarly excellence. It serves as a stark reminder of how much gender equality is hindered in the U.S. by the struggles of women to win elected office as members of the Republican Party." - Brian Frederick, author of American Presidential Candidate Spouses: The Public's Perspective "Elder's careful analysis clarifies that the expansion of elected female Democrats is likely to be self-perpetuating and that Republicans are likely to continue electing men. An illuminating read for anyone concerned for the future of women in US electoral politics." - T. Marchant-Shapiro, Southern Connecticut State University (Choice)