Women's Issues in US Politics
Female legislators disproportionately sponsor bills addressing women's concerns. Using 40 years of House data (1975-2014), we analyzed which issues are most associated with female representation.
Bills Failing More Often?
While about 4% of all legislation becomes law, success rates drop significantly for "women's issue" bills and especially those sponsored by women. Only around 1% become enacted when introduced by female lawmakers.
The Pattern Persists Over Time
This disparity remains consistent across multiple election cycles despite controlling for various factors that typically influence bill outcomes.
Why the Lower Success?
Our findings point to systematic biases within congressional committee structures affecting representation of women's concerns. Further research on enhancing legislative effectiveness is recommended.
| Women's Issues and Their Fates in the United States Congress was authored by Alan E. Wiseman, Craig Volden and Dana E. Wittmer. It was published by Cambridge in PSR&M in 2018. |
