More women can run gender and pathways to the state legislatures

"Drawing upon original surveys conducted in 1981 and 2008 by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) of women state legislators across all fifty states, and follow-up interviews after the 2008 survey, the authors find that gender differences in pathways to the legislatures, first evident in 1981, have been surprisingly persistent over time. They find that, while the ambition framework better explains men's decisions to run for office, a relationally embedded model of candidate emergence better captures women's decision-making, with women's decisions more often influenced by the encouragement and support of parties, organizations, and family members. By rethinking the nature of women's representation, this study calls for a reorientation of academic research on women's election to office and provides insight into new strategies for political practitioners concerned about women's political equality."
"This book advances a new approach for understanding women's election to office, challenging assumptions of a single model of candidate emergence and the necessity for women to assimilate to men's pathways to office. The authors argue that a relationally embedded model of candidate emergence better captures women's decision-making than an ambition framework in which candidacy is self-initiated."