Women and Congressional Elections: A Century of Change

As of 2010, women make up only about 17 percent of elected U.S. Congress members. Palmer (political science, Baldwin-Wallace Coll.) and Simon (political science, Southern Methodist Univ.), coauthors of Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling, describe the road to Washington for women as long and winding. Their book is a broad overview of female congressional candidates, backed by data and analysis, providing an answer to the questions of why so few women are elected and why, when elected, they face greater challenges to reelection than their male peers. The authors show that congressional district demography plays a major role in determining a female candidate's chances of election. As the demographics of some districts change, these districts may favor female candidates, and women may have greater opportunities for election and incumbency.