Women face a 'gendered pipeline' barrier to power, but the reasons are complex. We analyzed three candidate pools: lower-level officeholders, newspaper-nominated candidates, and lawyers with political contributions.
Findings:
- Women's likelihood of seeking election is lower than men's
- However, their scarcity in these roles creates a bigger disparity for female candidates
- The issue requires attention to the Republican side specifically
These results highlight that addressing women's underrepresentation must consider both entry rates into politics and the gendered pipeline itself.
