|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
It has been 10 years since the “Year of the women” nearly doubles the numbers of women in Congress. ... A recent story found that the United States ranks 43rd in the world unit in percentage of women elected to its national legislature. Traditionally, political scientists have overlooked questions relating to the representation of women by governing institutions. The failure to raise questions pertaining to the representation of women has stemmed, in part, from sex stereotyping. ... Women’s preoccupation with home and family has been seen as the reason for their relative absence from political positions. Because women have been assumed to share the political views and preferences of their husbands and fathers, women’s representation in the political sphere has not been viewed as an issue of major concern.
There is evidence that American women perceive that they do not have as much opportunity as men to participate in the policy-making aspects of politics. One of the factors contributing to the perception that the political system discourage meaningful participation by women is that small numbers of women in visible positions of public leadership. ...
While women vote in greater numbers than men, women represent 53% of the voting population, and make up over 50% of the total population, however, women’s presence in elected office does not reflect the majority. Given American women’s success in many areas, why has politics proven such a hostile terrain towards women? Some people propose that it’s women’s own reluctance to sacrifice their traditional home lives. Many people suggest that many women do not consider politics as a reasonable option because they don’t want to give up being mothers and wives. ...
In the world of practical politics, there are several commonly heard explanations for women candidates’ lack of greater success at the polls in the United States. ... Because women are believed to be disadvantaged, deficient, or different from most candidates on these factors, they are thought to be less electable to run for their candidacy.
One common explanation for the lack of women in public office focuses on previous experience and qualifications for office holding. “Political elites frequently defend an inadequate record in recruiting women by arguing that they simply cannot find sufficient numbers of “qualified” women. This, for example, was the defense used by both the Nixon and Carter administration when challenged for not appointing larger numbers of women to major policy-making posts.” (Women as Candidates in American Politics, Pg. ...
Women candidates are perceived not only to lack the non-political accomplishments and credentials necessary for public officeholding, but also to lack the political experience. If many women candidates lack the credentials and the experience necessary for public office holding, as is commonly believed, then the failure of women to be elected to public office in greater numbers may be attributable, in part, to their lack of qualifications. ...
“among the best-documented observations
about candidates and public officials
are that they are much better educated
than most of the general population and
that they tend to be drawn disproportionately
from managerial and professional occupations”
(Women as Candidates in American Politics,
Pg. ...
It is suggested that women who are seeking or already are holding powerful offices need to have a higher educational levels and prestigious occupation than those women who are seeking for less powerful offices. However, previous research on men candidates has found that a majority of state legislative candidates and officeholder are college educated.
Do women candidates fail to win at a higher rate because they lack the necessary qualifications for officeholding? With regards to women’s educational qualifications or background, most women candidates cannot be considered to lack the necessary qualifications for officeholding.
Approximate Word count = 3014
Approximate Pages = 12.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|