Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-mzp66 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-12T12:42:31.815Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gender Differences in Legislator Responsiveness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 November 2019

Danielle M. Thomsen Open the ORCID record for Danielle M. Thomsen [Opens in a new window]  and
Bailey K. Sanders
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A growing body of research shows that women legislators outperform their male counterparts in the legislative arena, but scholars have yet to examine whether this pattern emerges in non-policy aspects of representation. We conducted an audit study of 6,000 U.S. state legislators to analyze whether women outperform or underperform men on constituency service in light of the extra effort they spend on policy. We find that women are more likely to respond to constituent requests than men, even after accounting for their heightened level of policy activity. Female legislators are the most responsive in conservative districts, where women may see the barriers to their election as especially high. We then demonstrate that our findings are not a function of staff responsiveness, legislator ideology, or responsiveness to female constituents or gender issues. The results provide additional evidence that women perform better than their male counterparts across a range of representational activities.

Type
Special Section: The Glass Ceiling/Gender
Information
Perspectives on Politics , Volume 18 , Issue 4 , December 2020 , pp. 1017 - 1030
Copyright
© American Political Science Association 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

A list of permanent links to Supplemental Materials provided by the authors precedes the References section.

*

Data replication sets are available in Harvard Dataverse at: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/8WLEMA

The authors received valuable feedback from seminar participants at the University of Notre Dame, Stanford University, Syracuse University, and the Political Institutions and Elite Behavior mini-conference at the Midwest Political Science Association meeting. They thank Amy Alexander, Sara Angevine, David Broockman, Dan Butler, Matt Cleary, Charles Crabtree, Shana Gadarian, Dimitar Gueorguiev, Jeff Harden, Mirya Holman, Dan McDowell, Michael Miller, Craig Volden, and Christina Wolbrecht for helpful comments and suggestions.

References

Antolini, Denise. 1984. “Women in Local Government: An Overview.” In Political Women: Current Roles in State and Local Government, ed. Flammang, Janet A.. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Anzia, Sarah F. and Berry, Christopher R.. 2011. “The Jackie (and Jill) Robinson Effect: Why Do Congresswomen Outperform Congressmen?” American Journal of Political Science 55(3): 478–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, Tiffany D. 2016. Gendering Legislative Behavior: Institutional Constraints and Collaboration. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, Tiffany D., Branton, Regina P., and Cassese, Erin C.. 2017. “A Reexamination of Women’s Electoral Success in Open Seat Elections: The Conditioning Effect of Electoral Competition.” Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy 38(3): 298–317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonica, Adam. 2014. “Mapping the Ideological Marketplace.” American Journal of Political Science 58(2): 367–86.10.1111/ajps.12062CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boxer, Barbara. 1993. Strangers in the Senate. Washington, DC: National Press Books.Google Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A. 2005. “Critical Mass Theory Revisited: The Behavior and Success of Token Women in State Legislatures.” Politics & Gender 1(1): 97–125.Google Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A. and Haynie, Kerry L.. 1999. “Agenda Setting and Legislative Success in State Legislatures: The Effects of Gender and Race.” Journal of Politics 61(3): 658–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A., Haynie, Kerry L., and Reingold, Beth. 2006. “Agenda Setting and African American Women in State Legislatures.” Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy 28(3-4): 71–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broockman, David E. 2013. “Black Politicians Are More Intrinsically Motivated to Advance Blacks’ Interests: A Field Experiment Manipulating Political Incentives.” American Journal of Political Science 57(3): 521–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butler, Daniel M. 2014. Representing the Advantaged: How Politicians Reinforce Inequality . New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butler, Daniel M. and Broockman, David E.. 2011. “Do Politicians Racially Discriminate Against Constituents? A Field Experiment on State Legislators.” American Journal of Political Science 55(3): 463–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cain, Bruce E., Ferejohn, John, and Fiorina, Morris P.. 1987. The Personal Vote: Constituency Service and Electoral Independence. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.10.4159/harvard.9780674493285CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cain, Bruce E. and Kousser, Thad. 2004. “Adapting to Term Limits: Recent Experiences and New Directions.” San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California.Google Scholar
Carnes, Nicholas and Holbein, John. 2015. “Unequal Responsiveness in Constituent Services? Evidence from Casework Request Experiments in North Carolina.” Working Paper, Duke University.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. and Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2013. More Women Can Run: Gender and Pathways to State Legislatures . New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). 2016. “Women in State Legislatures Fact Sheet.” New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics.Google Scholar
Coppock, Alexander. 2019. “Avoiding Post-Treatment Bias in Audit Experiments.” Journal of Experimental Political Science 6(1): 1–4.10.1017/XPS.2018.9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, Irene. 1977. Sex Roles in the State House. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Dodson, Debra L. 2006. The Impact of Women in Congress. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellickson, Mark C. and Whistler, Donald E.. 2001. “Explaining State Legislators’ Casework and Public Resource Allocations.” Political Research Quarterly 54(3): 553–69.10.1177/106591290105400304CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fenno, Richard F. 1978. Home Style: House Members in Their Districts. New York: Longman.Google Scholar
Flammang, Janet. 1984. Political Women: Current Roles in State and Local Government . Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Freeman, Patricia K. and Richardson, Lilliard E. Jr. 1996. “Explaining Variation in Casework Among State Legislators.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 21(1): 41–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, Sarah A. 2012. “Running Backwards and in High Heels: The Gendered Quality Gap and Electoral Success.” Political Research Quarterly 65(2): 303–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerrity, Jessica C., Osborn, Tracy, and Morehouse Mendez, Jeanette. 2007. “Women and Representation: A Different View of the District?” Politics & Gender 3(2): 179–200.Google Scholar
Harden, Jeffrey J. 2016. Multidimensional Democracy: A Supply and Demand Theory of Representation in American Legislatures. New York: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9781316442920CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkesworth, Mary. 2003. “Congressional Enactments of Race-Gender: Toward a Theory of Raced-Gendered Institutions.” American Political Science Review 97(4): 529–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, Danny. 2011. “When Gender and Party Collide: Stereotyping in Candidate Trait Attribution.” Politics & Gender 7(2): 133–65.10.1017/S1743923X11000055CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holman, Mirya R. 2015. Women in Politics in the American City . Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Holman, Mirya R. and Mahoney, Anna. 2018. “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen: Women’s Collaboration in U.S. State Legislatures.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 43(2): 179–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, Marilyn and Carroll, Susan J.. 1978. Profile of Women Holding Office II. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics.Google Scholar
Kanthak, Kristin and Woon, Jonathan. 2014. “Women Don’t Run? Election Aversion and Candidate Entry.” American Journal of Political Science 59(3): 595–612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kanthak, Kristin and Krause, George A.. 2012. The Diversity Paradox: Political Parties, Legislatures, and the Organizational Foundations of Representation in America. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Karpowitz, Christopher F., Mendelberg, Tali, and Mattioli, Lauren. 2015. “Why Women’s Numbers Elevate Women’s Influence, and When They Do Not: Rules, Norms, and Authority in Political Discussion.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 3(1): 149–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klarner, Carl. 2013. “State Partisan Balance Data, 1937‒2011.” http://hdl.handle.net/1902.1/20403 IQSS Dataverse Network [Distributor] V1 [Version]Google Scholar
Krook, Mona Lena. 2015. “Empowerment versus Backlash: Gender Quotas and Critical Mass Theory.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 3(1): 184–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L. and Fox, Richard L.. 2010. It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office. New York: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511778797CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L. and Pearson, Kathryn. 2008. “The Primary Reason for Women’s Underrepresentation? Reevaluating the Conventional Wisdom.” Journal of Politics 70(1): 67–82.10.1017/S002238160708005XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendez, Matthew M. and Grose, Christian R.. 2018. “Doubling Down: Inequality in Responsiveness and the Policy Preferences of Elected Officials.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 43(3): 457–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL). 2010. “Size of Legislative Staff.” Washington, DC. Accessed at http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/staff-change-chart-1979-1988-1996-2003-2009.aspx Google Scholar
Osborn, Tracy L. 2012. How Women Represent Women: Political Parties, Representation, and Gender in the State Legislatures. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osborn, Tracy and Mendez, Jeanette Morehouse. 2010. “Speaking as Women: Women and Floor Speeches in the Senate.” Journal of Women, Politics, & Policy 31(1): 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmer, Barbara and Simon, Dennis. 2008. Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling: Women and Congressional Elections. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Pearson, Kathryn and Dancey, Logan. 2011. “Elevating Women’s Voices in Congress: Speech Participation in the House of Representatives.” Political Research Quarterly 64(4): 910–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, Kathryn and McGhee, Eric. 2013. “What It Takes to Win: Questioning ‘Gender Neutral’ Outcomes in U.S. House Elections.” Politics & Gender 9(4): 439–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preece, Jessica Robinson. 2016. “Mind the Gender Gap: An Experiment on the Influence of Self Efficacy on Political Interest.” Politics & Gender 12(1): 198–217.10.1017/S1743923X15000628CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preece, Jessica and Stoddard, Olga. 2015. “Does the Message Matter? A Field Experiment on Political Party Recruitment.” Journal of Experimental Political Science 2(1): 26–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pyeatt, Nicholas and Yanus, Alixandra B.. 2016. “Shattering the Marble Ceiling: A Research Note on Women-Friendly State Legislative Districts.” Social Science Quarterly 97(5): 1108–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reingold, Beth. 2000. Representing Women: Sex, Gender, and Legislative Behavior in Arizona and California. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.Google Scholar
Richardson, Lilliard E. Jr. and Freeman, Patricia K.. 1995. “Gender Differences in Constituency Service among State Legislators.” Political Research Quarterly 48(1): 169–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schroeder, Pat. 1998. 24 Years of House Work … and the Place Is Still a Mess: My Life in Politics. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel.Google Scholar
Swers, Michele L. 2002. The Difference Women Make: The Policy Impact of Women in Congress. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tausanovitch, Chris and Warshaw, Christopher. 2013. “Measuring Constituent Policy Preferences in Congress, State Legislatures, and Cities.” Journal of Politics 75(2): 330–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teele, Dawn Langan. 2014. Field Experiments and Their Critics: Essays on the Uses and Abuses of Experimentation in the Social Sciences. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1992. “The Effects of Race and Gender on Constituency Service.” Western Political Quarterly 45(1): 169–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1994. How Women Legislate. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Thomsen, Danielle M. 2015. “Why So Few (Republican) Women? Explaining the Partisan Imbalance of Women in the U.S. Congress.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 40(2): 295–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomsen, Danielle M. 2017. Opting Out of Congress: Partisan Polarization and the Decline of Moderate Candidates. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volden, Craig and Wiseman, Alan E.. 2011. “Breaking Gridlock: The Determinants of Health Policy Change in Congress.” Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law 36(2): 227–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Volden, Craig, Wiseman, Alan E., and Wittmer, Dana E.. 2013. “When Are Women More Effective Lawmakers Than Men?” American Journal of Political Science 57(2): 326–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolbrecht, Christina. 2000. The Politics of Women’s Rights: Parties, Positions, and Change. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Yoder, Janice D. 1991. “Rethinking Tokenism: Looking Beyond Numbers.” Gender and Society 5(2): 178–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: Link

Thomsen and Sanders Dataset

Dataset

https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/8WLEMA
Link
Supplementary material: File

Thomsen and Sanders supplementary material

Appendices
Download Thomsen and Sanders supplementary material(File)
File 277 KB