Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-2h6rp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-05T11:57:07.218Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Religious Adherence, Women-Friendliness, and Representation in American State Legislatures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2020

Nicholas L. Pyeatt  and
Alixandra B. Yanus
Nicholas L. Pyeatt
Affiliation:
Penn State—Altoona
Alixandra B. Yanus*
Affiliation:
High Point University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Alixandra B. Yanus, High Point University, One University Parkway, Drawer 34, High Point, NC27268. E-mail: ayanus@highpoint.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

National and cross-national studies demonstrate that the probability of women candidates' emergence and success is lower in more religious areas. One recent study of the U.S. House of Representatives even suggests that the effect of religiosity may be so powerful as to render insignificant other contextual factors, including a district's baseline women-friendliness. We argue that this finding is an institutional artifact; in less competitive contests with more internally similar constituencies, both religion and other contextual factors should affect women candidates' emergence and victory. We test this proposition using state legislative data and find that while women are less likely to run and win in more religious areas, district women-friendliness has an independent, positive effect on women's candidacies. These effects are particularly noteworthy in districts with large evangelical Protestant populations and affect Republican and Democratic women similarly.

Type
Article
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , June 2020 , pp. 217 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2018 State Politics and Policy Conference, State College, PA, June 7–9. The authors gratefully acknowledge Steven Rogers, Mark Setzler, Sean Bueter, and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback.

References

REFERENCES

Adler, E. Scott. 2002. Why Congressional Reforms Fail: Reelection and the House Committee System. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. 2012. “U.S. Religion Census 1952 to 2010.” http://usreligioncensus.org/datacol.php.Google Scholar
Burge, Ryan. 2013. “Using Matching to Investigate the Relationship between Religion and Tolerance.” Politics and Religion 6 (2): 264–281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carey, John M., Niemi, Richard G., and Powell, Lynda W.. 2009. Term Limits in State Legislatures. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Cassese, Erin C., and Holman, Mirya R.. 2016a. “Religion, Gendered Authority, and Identity in American Politics.” Politics and Religion 10 (1): 31–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cassese, Erin C., and Holman, Mirya R.. 2016b. “Religious Beliefs, Gender Consciousness, and Women's Political Participation.” Sex Roles 75 (9): 514–527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowell-Meyers, Kimberly, and Langbein, Laura. 2009. “Linking Women's Descriptive and Substantive Representation in the United States.” Politics & Gender 5 (4): 491–518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crowder-Meyer, Melody. 2013. “Gendered Recruitment without Trying: How Local Party Recruiters Affect Women's Representation.” Politics & Gender 9 (04): 390–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crowder-Meyer, Melody, and Cooperman, Rosalyn. 2018. “Can't Buy Them Love: How Party Culture among Donors Contributes to the Party Gap in Women's Representation.” The Journal of Politics 80 (4): 1211–1224.10.1086/698848CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darcy, R., Welch, Susan, and Clark, Janet. 1985. “Women Candidates in Single and Multi Member Districts: American State Legislative Races.” Social Science Quarterly 66 (4): 945–953.Google Scholar
Deckman, Melissa. 2010. “Women as Leaders in Protestant Denominations.” In Gender and Women's Leadership: A Reference Handbook, ed. O'Connor, Karen. New York: Sage, 544–554.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edgell, Penny, and Tranby, Eric. 2007. “Religious Influences on Understandings of Racial Inequality in the United States.” Social Problems 54 (2): 263–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elazar, Daniel. 1984. American Federalism: A View from the States. New York: Harper and Row.Google Scholar
Esqueda, Octavio 2018. “Much Ado about Gender Roles.” https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/august-web-only/complementarian-egalitarian-debate-gender-roles-explainer.html.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Lawless, Jennifer L.. 2010. “If Only They'd Ask: Gender, Recruitment, and Political Ambition.” Journal of Politics 72 (2): 310–336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, Sarah A. 2012. “Running Backwards and in High Heels: The Gendered Quality Gap and Incumbent Electoral Success.” Political Research Quarterly 65 (2): 303–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fulton, Sarah A., Maestas, Cherie D., Maisel, L. Sandy, and Stone, Walter J.. 2006. “The Sense of a Woman: Gender, Ambition, and the Decision to Run for Congress.” Political Research Quarterly 59 (2): 235–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerber, Alan S., Gruber, Jonathan, and Hungerman, Daniel M.. 2015. “Does Church Attendance Cause People to Vote? Using Blue Laws’ Repeal to Estimate the Effect of Religiosity on Voter Turnout.” British Journal of Political Science 46 (3): 481–500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerrity, Jessica C., Osborn, Tracy, and Mendez, Jeanette Morehouse. 2007. “Women and Representation: A Different View of the District?” Politics & Gender 3 (2): 179–200.Google Scholar
Gordon, Elizabeth Ellen. 2016. “Female Candidates, Sociopolitical Subculture, and State Attorney General Elections.” Justice System Journal 37 (1): 63–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grammich, Clifford, Hadaway, Kirk, Houseal, Richard, Jones, Dale E., Krindatch, Alexei, Stanley, Richie, and Taylor, Richard H.. 2012a. 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. edited by Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.Google Scholar
Grammich, Clifford, Hadaway, Kirk, Houseal, Richard, Jones, Dale E., Krindatch, Alexei, Stanley, Richie, and Taylor, Richard H.. 2012b. “U.S. Religion Census 2010: Summary Findings.” Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. http://www.usreligioncensus.org/press_release/ACP%2020120501.pdf.Google Scholar
Guth, James L. 2012. “The Religious Roots of Foreign Policy Exceptionalism.” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 10 (2): 77–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hetherington, Marc, and Weiler, Jonathan. 2018. Pickup or Prius? How the Answers to Four Simple Questions Explain America's Great Divide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.Google Scholar
Hogan, Robert. 2001. “The Influence of State and District Conditions on the Representation of Women in U.S. State Legislatures.” American Politics Research 29 (1): 4–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunt, Mary E. 2010. “Women as Leaders in Catholicism.” In Gender and Women's Leadership: A Reference Handbook, ed. O'Connor, Karen. New York: Sage, 490–495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inglehart, Ronald, Norris, Pippa, and Welzel, Christian. 2002. “Gender Equality and Democracy.” Comparative Sociology 1 (3–4): 235–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IWPR. 2017. “The Status of Women in the States.” Institute for Women's Policy Research. https://statusofwomendata.org/explore-the-data/political-participation/political-participation-full-section/#ppwomensinstitutionalresources.Google Scholar
Jones, Dale E., Doty, Sherri, Grammich, Clifford, Horsch, James E., Houseal, Richard, Lynn, Mac, Marcum, John P., Sanchagrin, Kenneth M., and Taylor, Richard H.. 2002. Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000: An Enumeration by Region, State and County Based on Data Reported by 149 Religious Bodies. Edited by Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, Karen M. 2002. “Culture Wars, Secular Realignment, and the Gender Gap in Party Identification.” Political Behavior 24 (3): 283–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, James D. 2002. “Single-Member Districts and the Representation of Women in American State Legislatures: The Effects of Electoral System Change.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 2 (2): 161–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kitchens, Karin E., and Swers, Michele L.. 2016. “Why Aren't There More Republican Women in Congress? Gender, Partisanship, and Fundraising Support in the 2010 and 2012 Elections.” Politics & Gender 12 (4): 648–676.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ladam, Christina, Harden, Jeffrey J., and Windett, Jason H.. 2018. “Prominent Role Models: High-Profile Female Politicians and the Emergence of Women as Candidates for Public Office.” American Journal of Political Science 62 (2): 369–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Fox, Richard L.. 2005. It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lipka, Michael. 2015. “A Closer Look at Catholic America.” Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/14/a-closer-look-at-catholic-america.Google Scholar
MacDonald, Jason A., and O'Brien, Erin E.. 2010. “Quasi-Experimental Design, Constituency, and Advancing Women's Interests: Reexamining the Influence of Gender on Substantive Representation.” Political Research Quarterly 64 (2): 472–486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mansbridge, Jane. 1999. “Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent “Yes”.” Journal of Politics 61 (3): 628–657.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matland, Richard, and Studlar, Donley. 1996. “The Contagion of Women Candidates in Single-Member District and Proportional Representation Electoral Systems: Canada and Norway.” Journal of Politics 58 (3): 707–733.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenzie, Brian D., and Rouse, Stella M.. 2012. “Shades of Faith: Religious Foundations of Political Attitudes among African Americans, Latinos, and Whites.” American Journal of Political Science 57 (1): 218–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendelberg, Tali, Karpowitz, Christopher F., and Goedert, Nicholas. 2014. “Does Descriptive Representation Facilitate Women's Distinctive Voice? How Gender Composition and Decision Rules Affect Deliberation.” American Journal of Political Science 58 (2): 291–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merolla, Jennifer, Schroedel, Jean Reith, and Holman, Mirya Rose. 2007. “The Paradox of Protestantism and Women in Elected Office in the United States.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 29 (1): 77–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nechemias, Carol. 1985. “Geographic Mobility and Women's Access to State Legislatures.” The Western Political Quarterly 38 (1): 119–131..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Connell, Gerard. 2018. “Pope Francis Appoints Three Women as Consultants to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.” America: The Jesuit Review, April 21, 2018.Google Scholar
Olson, Laura R., and Warber, Adam L.. 2008. “Belonging, Behaving, and Believing: Assessing the Role of Religion on Presidential Approval.” Political Research Quarterly 61 (2): 192–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ondercin, Heather L., and Welch, Susan. 2009. “Comparing Predictors of Women's Congressional Election Success Candidates, Primaries, and the General Election.” American Politics Research 37 (4): 593–613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Regan, Valerie, and Stambough, Stephen J.. 2018. “Term Limits and Women's Representation: A Democratic Opportunity and a Republican Dead-End.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 6 (4): 650–665.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osborn, Tracy. 2012. How Women Represent Women. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osborn, Tracy, and Mendez, Jeanette Morehouse. 2010. “Speaking as Women: Women and Floor Speeches in the Senate.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 31 (1): 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmer, Barbara, and Simon, Dennis. 2003. “Political Ambition and Women in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1916–2000.” Political Research Quarterly 56 (2): 127–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmer, Barbara, and Simon, Dennis. 2008. Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women and Congressional Elections. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Palmer, Barbara, and Simon, Dennis. 2012. Women and Congressional Elections: A Century of Change. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Paxton, Pamela, Hughes, Melanie, and Painter, Matthew A. II. 2011. “Growth in Women's Political Representation: A Longitudinal Exploration of Democracy, Electoral System and Gender Quotas.” European Journal of Political Research 49 (1): 25–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettey, Samantha. 2017. “Female Candidate Emergence and Term Limits: A State-Level Analysis.” Political Research Quarterly 71 (2): 318–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pyeatt, Nicholas, and Yanus, Alixandra B.. 2016. “Shattering the Marble Ceiling: A Research Note on Women-Friendly State Legislative Districts.” Social Science Quarterly 97 (5): 1108–1118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pyeatt, Nicholas, and Yanus, Alixandra B.. 2017. “Increasing Women's Political Participation: The Role of Women-Friendly Districts.” Representation 53 (3-4): 185–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reingold, Beth, and Smith, Adrienne R.. 2012. “Welfare Policymaking and Intersections of Race, Ethnicity and Gender in U.S. State Legislatures.” American Journal of Political Science 56 (1): 131–147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rule, Wilma. 1981. “Why Women Don't Run: The Critical Contextual Factors in Women's Legislative Recruitment.” Western Political Quarterly 34 (1): 60–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2002a. “Gender Stereotypes and Vote Choice.” American Journal of Political Science 46 (1): 20–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2002b. “Political Parties and the Recruitment of Women to State Legislatures.” Journal of Politics 64 (3): 791–809.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneider, Monica C., Holman, Mirya R., Diekman, Amanda B., and McAndrew, Thomas. 2016. “Power, Conflict, and Community: How Gendered Views of Political Power Influence Women's Political Ambition.” Political Psychology 37 (4): 515–531.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, Jamil S. 2018. “Ambition Is Not Enough: Explaining Candidate Emergence in State Level Politics.” Michigan State University.Google Scholar
Setzler, Mark. 2016. “Religious Differences among Congressional Districts and the Success of Women Candidates.” Politics & Gender 12 (3): 518–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Setzler, Mark, and Yanus, Alixandra B.. 2016. “Evangelical Protestantism and Bias Against Female Political Leaders.” Social Science Quarterly 98 (2): 766–778.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherkat, Darren E. 2016. “Religion, Politics, and Americans’ Confidence in Science.” Politics and Religion 10 (1): 137–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sidorsky, Kaitlin. 2015. “Moving on Up? The Gendered Ambitions of State-Level Appointed Officials.” Political Research Quarterly 68 (4): 802–815.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, Adrienne R., Reingold, Beth, and Owens, Michael Leo. 2012. “The Political Determinants of Women's Descriptive Representation in Cities.” Political Research Quarterly 65 (2): 315–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, Gregory A., and Martinez, Jessica. 2016. “How the Faithful Voted: A Preliminary 2016 Analysis.” Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/how-the-faithful-voted-a-preliminary-2016-analysis/.Google Scholar
Squire, Pervill. 2007. “Measuring State Legislative Professionalism: The Squire Index Revisited.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 7 (2): 211–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tausanovitch, Chris, and Warshaw, Christopher. 2013. “Measuring Constituent Policy Preferences in Congress, State Legislatures, and Cities.” The Journal of Politics 75 (2): 330–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomsen, Danielle M. 2015. “Why So Few (Republican) Women? Explaining the Partisan Imbalance of Women in the U.S. Congress.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 40 (2): 295–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomsen, Danielle M. 2019. “Which Women Win? Partisan Changes in Victory Patterns in US House Elections.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 7 (2): 412–428.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomsen, Danielle M., and Swers, Michele L.. 2017. “Which Women Can Run? Gender, Partisanship, and Candidate Donor Networks.” Political Research Quarterly 70 (2): 449–463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vandenbosch, Sue. 1996. “A Negative Relationship Between Religion and the Percentage of Women State Legislators in the United States.” The Journal of Legislative Studies 2 (4): 322–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wald, Kenneth D., Owen, Dennis E., and Hill, Samuel S.. 1988. “Churches as Political Communities.” American Political Science Review 82 (2): 531–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitehead, Andrew L. 2012. “Gender Ideology and Religion: Does a Masculine Image of God Matter?” Review of Religious Research 54 (2): 139–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitehead, Andrew L. 2013. “Gendered Organizations and Inequality Regimes: Gender, Homosexuality, and Inequality Within Religious Congregations.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 52 (3): 476–493.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilcox, W. Bradford, Chaves, Mark, and Franz, David. 2004. “Focused on the Family? Religious Traditions, Family Discourse, and Pastoral Practice.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 43 (4): 491–504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Windett, Jason. 2011. “State Effects and the Emergence and Success of Female Gubernatorial Candidates.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 11 (4): 460–482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Pyeatt and Yanus supplementary material

Pyeatt and Yanus supplementary material

Download Pyeatt and Yanus supplementary material(File)
File 110.8 KB