Gender Dynamics in Congressional Elections

by Richard Logan Fox

• ISBN13: 9780761902386
• ISBN10: 0761902384
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-10-30
• Publisher: Sage Publications

Summary

What happens in an electoral environment involving female candidates? Do women face different challenges during the electoral process? How do gender dynamics alter the conventional norms of electoral politics? Do women campaign differently from men? Do male candidates pay more attention to women's issues, or make other strategic and behavioral changes when opposed by a female candidate? Author Richard Logan Fox answers these questions and many others with compelling evidence that suggests that women candidates are having a profound impact on the electoral process. In Gender Dynamics in Congressional Elections, Fox studies the congressional races of 1992 and 1994 in California in which a record 19 women were candidates for House seats. He contrasts the experiences of both the male and female candidates and sheds new light on the different challenges women face during political campaigns. Providing a groundbreaking examination of an understudied topic, Gender Dynamics in Congressional Elections will be essential for students and professionals in political science.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	x
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction: Women on the Rise in California Electoral Politics	xv
The Central Thesis	xviii
Database	xx
The Recent Literature on Female Candidates	xxiv
Overview of the Following Chapters	xxvi
Gender and Political Representation in the Elections of 1992 and 1994	1	(16)
The Importance of Examining the Role of Gender in Electoral Politics	2	(1)
The Representation of Women	3	(5)
Studying the Role of Gender in the 1992 and 1994 Elections	8	(9)
``The Year of the Woman'' and the 1992 Elections	8	(4)
The Atmosphere for Female Candidates in 1994	12	(5)
Women and Men on the Campaign Trail	17	(41)
Motivations for Entering the Campaign	19	(9)
Issue Concerns and Ideological Considerations	21	(5)
Levels of Political Ambition	26	(2)
Campaign Organizations	28	(3)
Strategic Priorities and Communicating With the Voters	31	(5)
Style of Campaigning	36	(9)
``Personal Campaigning'' and Different Life Experiences	37	(3)
Negative Campaigning	40	(5)
Strategies in Targeting Voters	45	(3)
Female Candidates Transforming the Electoral Arena: How Male Candidates Respond	48	(10)
Fear of Negative Campaigning	50	(3)
Building Bonds With Female Voters	53	(3)
Conclusion	56	(2)
Gender and Strategy in Campaign Messages	58	(42)
Selecting a Campaign Message	61	(4)
Personal Convictions	62	(1)
Strategic Decisions	63	(2)
Personal Traits Used by the Candidates	65	(14)
Credentials and Professional Qualities	68	(4)
Family Traits	72	(3)
Intelligence	75	(2)
Ideology and Community	77	(2)
Presentation of Campaign Themes	79	(2)
``Change'' as a Campaign Theme	81	(2)
The Policy Issues in the Campaigns	83	(15)
Gender Differences in Policy Usage	91	(3)
Men Running Against Women	94	(4)
Conclusion and Summary	98	(2)
The Gender Dynamics of Fund-Raising, Party Support, and Media Coverage	100	(43)
Explaining Women's Numerical Underrepresentation	102	(3)
Advantages and Obstacles in the Electoral Process	105	(4)
Gender and Campaign Finance	109	(9)
Discrimination in Fund-Raising	113	(2)
Socialization and the Contribution Patterns of Men and Women	115	(1)
The Role of Women's PACs	116	(2)
Gender and Political Parties	118	(10)
Recruitment of Candidates	119	(3)
Party Allocation of Resources	122	(3)
Bias and Discrimination in Party Support	125	(3)
Gender and Media Coverage	128	(10)
The Extent and Scope of Media Coverage	128	(2)
Bias in Media Coverage	130	(2)
Gender Bias in Media Coverage	132	(3)
Incumbency Advantages and Ideological Bias as Gender Bias	135	(3)
Conclusion	138	(5)
The Candidates Go to the Voters	143	(40)
Candidate Gender and the Vote	145	(4)
Election Results	149	(11)
Primary Voters	150	(6)
General Election Voters	156	(2)
Marginal Contests	158	(2)
Voter Attitudes	160	(20)
Volatility and Anger	161	(4)
Voter Apathy	165	(2)
Policy Agendas of the Elections	167	(8)
Voter Attitudes Toward Candidate Gender	175	(5)
Conclusion	180	(3)
Conclusion: The Future of Candidate Gender in Electoral Politics	183	(12)
Summary of Findings	184	(3)
Concluding Assessments of the Campaign Managers	187	(4)
Different Perceptions of Male and Female Candidates	188	(2)
``Women Have to be Better''	190	(1)
Researching the Role of Gender in the Electoral Process	191	(3)
Conclusion	194	(1)
Appendix A: Sample of California Congressional Races	195	(2)
Appendix B: Interview Roster	197	(6)
Appendix C: Pre-Election Survey	203	(10)
References	213	(8)
Index	221	(10)
About the Author	231