Women in American Politics An Introduction (with InfoTrac)

by Harrison, Brigid C.

• ISBN13: 9780534528225
• ISBN10: 0534528228
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-08-12
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

WOMEN IN AMERICAN POLITICS: AN INTRODUCTION introduces provides both an introduction to women in politics and to American government in such a way that students unfamiliar with the structure and the processes of American government can gain enough familiarity to enable them to analyze women's role in American politics. The text includes the impact of many public policy issues on women.

Table of Contents

Preface	viii
Introduction	x
I WOMEN IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY	1	(30)
Women in American Democracy	3	(28)
Why Study Women in Politics Now?	3	(2)
Differences Between Men and Women	5	(1)
The Roots of Difference and the Public/Private Split	5	(1)
Fear of Difference and the Tradition of Misogyny: The Political Philosophers	6	(5)
Plato	7	(1)
Aristotle	7	(1)
Hobbes	8	(1)
Locke	9	(1)
Mill	9	(2)
American Women's Political History	11	(15)
Colonial Women and the Constitution	11	(2)
Women and the Abolition Movement	13	(3)
The Fight for Suffrage	16	(2)
The Postsuffrage Era	18	(4)
The Modern Women's Movement	22	(4)
Conclusion	26	(5)
II WOMEN'S LINKS TO THE GOVERNMENT	31	(114)
Women and Public Opinion	33	(25)
Public Opinion in the United States	33	(1)
Public Opinion and Its Characteristics	34	(2)
The Study of Public Opinion and Women	36	(1)
The Emergence of the Gender Gap	37	(3)
Differences in Men's and Women's Opinions	40	(14)
Differences in Political Knowledge	40	(6)
Differences in Party Identification and Ideology	46	(2)
Differences in Domestic Policy Issues	48	(3)
Men, Women, and Foreign Affairs	51	(1)
Surprising Similarities	51	(3)
Conclusion	54	(4)
Women in Interest Groups	58	(20)
Women's Interests, Social Movements, and Interest Groups	58	(3)
Why Men and Women Join Interest Groups	61	(3)
Differences in Interest Group Participation	64	(1)
Women's Interest Groups	65	(6)
Business and Professional Women and the American Association of University Women	65	(1)
The National Organization for Women	66	(4)
The National Women's Political Caucus	70	(1)
Strategies and Tactics of Women's Interest Groups	71	(4)
Conclusion	75	(3)
Women and Political Action Committees	78	(18)
Campaign Contributions and Women's Candidacies: A Battle Won	78	(1)
The Regulation of Campaign Finance	79	(3)
The Impact of Campaign Finance Regulation	82	(1)
The Formation of Women's PACs	83	(3)
Organizational Goals	83	(2)
Organizational Strategy	85	(1)
Contribution Strategies	86	(3)
The Growth of Women's PACs	89	(3)
The Impact of Women's PACs	92	(1)
Conclusion	93	(3)
Women and American Political Parties	96	(25)
Women's Role in the Development of U.S. Political Parties	96	(1)
The First Party System	97	(1)
The Second Party System	98	(1)
The Third Party System	98	(1)
The Fourth Party System	99	(3)
The Fifth Party System	102	(4)
The Decline of Political Parties	106	(3)
The Three Faces of a Party	109	(7)
The Three Faces of a Party: Women in the Electorate	109	(2)
The Three Faces of a Party: Elected Women as Party Leaders	111	(2)
The Three Faces of a Party: Women and National, State, and Local Party Organizations	113	(3)
Gatekeepers and Recruiters: The Nomination Process and Women's Candidacies	116	(2)
Conclusion	118	(3)
Women, Voting, Elections, and Candidates	121	(24)
Men, Women, and Voting	121	(2)
Voter Turnout Among Men and Women	123	(3)
The Gender Gap	126	(8)
The Gender Gap in Congressional and State Elections	134	(2)
Women as Candidates: The Eligibility Pool and Incumbency	136	(2)
Media Coverage of Women as Candidates	138	(1)
Electoral Structure and Incumbency: The Impact on Women's Candidacies	139	(2)
Conclusion	141	(4)
III WOMEN IN GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS	145	(70)
Women in Congress	147	(25)
Introduction	147	(1)
A History of Women's Participation in Congress	148	(6)
Background of Women in Congress	154	(2)
The Election of Women to Congress	156	(6)
Women's Congressional Roles	162	(3)
The Impact of Women in Congress	165	(3)
Conclusion	168	(4)
Women in the Executive Branch	172	(19)
The Evolution of the Presidency	172	(1)
Why Hasn't There Been a Woman President of the United States?	173	(4)
The Participation of First Ladies in National Policy	177	(2)
Women's Formal Participation in the Executive Branch	179	(7)
Women as Employees of the Federal Government	179	(2)
Women in Presidential Cabinets	181	(5)
Conclusion	186	(5)
Women in the Federal Judiciary	191	(24)
The Historical Participation of Women in the Federal Judicial System	191	(1)
An Overview of the Federal Court System	192	(3)
The Selection of Federal Judges	195	(1)
Women's Appointments to the Federal Judiciary	196	(3)
Women's Appointments to the United States Supreme Court	199	(3)
The Impact of Women's Appointments	202	(1)
Women and the Law: Discrimination in Supreme Court Decisions	203	(6)
Discrimination in the Law	203	(6)
Women and the Law: Using the Courts to Achieve Equality	209	(1)
Privacy Rights	209	(1)
Equality in the Workplace	210	(1)
Conclusion	210	(5)
IV WOMEN AND AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY	215	(22)
Women and American Public Policy	217	(20)
Gendering Public Policy	217	(1)
Evaluating the Impact of the Women's Movement on Public Policy	218	(1)
Economic Equality	219	(6)
The Civil Rights Act of 1964	220	(2)
Affirmative Action	222	(2)
Discrimination against Pregnant Employees and Employees with Children	224	(1)
Economic Equality Today	225	(1)
Abortion	225	(7)
Using Violence to Protest Abortion and the Response	231	(1)
Women in the U.S. Military	232	(2)
Conclusion	234	(3)
Appendix A	237	(4)
Appendix B	241	(1)
Appendix C	242	(2)
Glossary	244	(8)
Index	252