Why Women Do/Don’t Run
Political Parity, a program of Hunt Alternatives Fund, is
a platform for a wide field of passionate and dedicated
political leaders, researchers, and funders changing the
face of US politics. Together, we will double the number of
women at the highest levels of American government as our
INTEREST IN RU NNIN G FO R HI GHER O FFICE
Among women currently serving in the US Congress,
approximately 50 percent previously served in their state
legislature. Even when female state legislators are well positioned
to run for governor or Congress, most choose not to. What
barriers prevent qualified women in these roles from running
for higher office, while men seek these positions? What would
encourage more women to run?
Background
Studies show that women are significantly less likely than men
to consider themselves qualified for elected office, even when
they have similar backgrounds and accomplishments. Yet
female candidates win at approximately equal rates to their
male counterparts. The disproportionate number of women in
Congress and gubernatorial offices is likely attributable more to a
lack of candidates than a lack of public support.
Women frequently cite a desire to change policy as their initial
motivation to run for office; some pundits have concluded that
men run to be someone, while women run to do something. Yet
despite that aspiration, women generally begin their political
careers at the local level rather than striving for statewide or
national offices. As a result, women comprise 24 percent of
state legislators across the US — an unsatisfactory number, but
higher than women’s 17 percent representation in Congress or 12
percent in governorships.
This study begins to fill our understanding gap through original,
nonpartisan research — a survey of 176 female state legislators,
conducted by Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach
Consulting. These findings are not simply interesting but also
actionable, helping illuminate factors that 1) might motivate
female state legislators to seek higher office or 2) might hold
them back.
Key Findings
Most women in state legislatures have not seriously considered
higher office.
• Only about one in five female state legislators expresses a
powerful desire to run for US House, Senate, or Governor.
Yes, it has crossed my mind.
46%
18%
Previous research shows that significantly more men than
similarly-situated women express the desire to run; male
eligible candidates also believe themselves to be more
qualified than equally-qualified female eligibles.1
• Those who have been in office long term (5+ years) and
those who have been encouraged to run by a prominent
member of their party or another power broker tend to
express greater interest.
• Three quarters of those surveyed report they have discussed
running for higher office with family and friends; however,
they are much less likely to have taken initial steps toward a
campaign, such as soliciting financial support from donors,
investigating getting their names on the ballot, or exploring
support from different organizations.
• The majority of women state legislators — particularly older
and Republican — do not see politics as a career.
• Half of survey respondents feel they can do more good
where they are now rather than moving up.
• Female state legislators say that, on the whole, the political
climate has become more frustrating.
Female legislators name money as the greatest barrier and the
most important motivator to encourage women to run.
• Women state legislators say having the ability to raise the
necessary money would make the most difference in getting
them to run. Similarly, the challenge of raising money is the
biggest barrier to running for higher office.
• Money is a far greater obstacle for survey respondents than
concerns about their personal backgrounds or private lives,
feeling they are too old to run, having family and other
commitments, or a dislike for negativity and competition.
• The majority of women state legislators have never raised
more than $100,000 for any individual race — a small
fraction of the cost of a campaign for higher office.
Gender roles and gender bias continue to play a significant
role for women considering a run for high-level office.
• Roughly half of survey respondents say their political party
is just as likely to encourage one gender as the other, while 44
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35%
No, I have not thought about it.
Yes, I have seriously considered it.
country draws from 100 percent of its talent pool.
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percent feel the party encourages men more. Only 3 percent
thought their party encouraged women more.
• About half of these women feel that men hold an electoral
advantage over women or that it is difficult for women to
move up in their state.
• There is strong agreement that it is hard for women
candidates to balance the demands of public life and family.
Supporters of various types play an important role.
• Encouragement from family is critical for women state
legislators in considering a higher race. Support from
community leaders, parties, and other powerful state
organizations, as well as early financial backing and enough
income to sustain one’s family, are also extremely important
factors.
• Having a political mentor appears important but not
sufficient; although a majority of women say they have
had political mentors(typically current and former elected
officials, other colleagues, friends and family), far fewer
seriously consider running.
Strategies for Change
State legislatures are a natural source of candidates for higher
political office; however, considerable action is needed
to encourage more women to run. The most significant
impediment — and opportunity — is money. Introduction to
PAC leaders, large donors, and other sources of early financial
support are ways local and national women’s organizations could
help. Clean election laws may remove financial barriers as well.
Prior research has found multiple reasons for the lack of
improvement in women’s political representation, including
external factors such as sexist media treatment and a lack of party
support, as well as internal reasons such as greater discomfort
with fundraising, family obligations, and the gender gap in
political ambition. Yet some women choose to seek national
office despite these obstacles. Identifying these determined
women, nurturing their interest and inclination, remain
ongoing opportunities for activists in the women’s political arena.
Summary
MOST IMPORTANT MOTIVATIONS TO RUN
SUPPORT NEEDED TO RUN
BIGGEST CHALLENGES/BARRIERS TO RUNNINGS
Yearning to change the way government
works (56)
More recruitment and encouragement of
women (41)
Raising money, meeting donors (especially
big donors and PAC leaders) (62)
Desire to see more women in office (33)
Fundraising/Ability to raise the necessary
money to run (39)
Perceptions of parties as biased in favor of
male candidates (51)
Wanting to make policy changes (31)
Support/infrastructure of party (14) and
from family/community leaders (13)
Getting elected later in life may stunt the
rise to higher office (women under age 60
express greater interest in moving up, 77%
versus 51%)
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of survey respondents choosing that option.
Methodology
Lake Research Partners (LRP) and Chesapeake Beach Consulting
designed and administered this survey, which was conducted
online and by phone using professional interviewers. The survey
reached a total of 176 female state legislators. Online interviews
reached 171 legislators and were conducted from May 9th to June
4th. Phone interviews reached 5 legislators and were conducted
June 12th through June 28th. Telephone numbers for the survey
were drawn using a list from the Center for American Women
and Politics at Rutgers University (CAWP). The samples were
stratified geographically based on the proportion of state
legislators in each region and by political party. The margin of
A Program of Hunt Alternatives Fund
error for the survey is +/– 7.4%. Further qualitative research will
further investigate the questions of why some women choose to
run while others do not, and what differentiates these groups of
potential female candidates.
1 Jennifer Lawless and Richard Fox, It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t
Run for Office (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005); Sarah A. Fulton,
Cherie D. Maestas, L. Sandy Maisel, Walter J. Stone, “The Sense of a Woman:
Gender, Ambition, and the Decision to Run for Congress” (Political Research
Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 2, 2006), pp. 235-248.
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| T 617.995.1900
www.PoliticalParity.org