The Political Psychology of Women in U.S. Politics

News media and campaign consultants routinely puzzle over why women vote the way that the do and why such a large gap exists between men and women in their preferences. Recognition that women are underrepresented in politics and are less interested than men in running for office has prompted many non-profits to form with the goal of creating training programs to encourage young women to run for political office.

The Political Psychology of Women in U.S. Politics is a comprehensive resource for undergraduate and graduate students studying women and politics. Highly original and drawing from the best available research in psychology and political science, this book is designed to summarize and extend interdisciplinary research that addresses how and why men and women differ as citizens, as political candidates, and as officeholders. Each of these puzzles speaks to broader questions within American politics – including political socialization, opinion formation, candidate emergence, and voting behavior – as well as specific questions related to women’s representation and whether or not women can or have achieved an appropriate level of descriptive and substantive representation in government.

This book is the ideal resource for students interested in understanding why the gender disparity in participation in politics continues to be a problem in the United States.

Angela L. Bos is Associate Professor of Political Science at the College of Wooster. Her teaching and research in US politics is focused in the areas of women and politics, political psychology, media and politics, political parties and elections, and research methods. Her research and pedagogy articles have been published in journals such as Political Psychology, Political Communication, PS: Political Science and Politics, Politics and Gender, Journal of Political Science Education, and the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Together with Monica Schneider, she has organized two mentoring conferences entitled New Research on Gender and Political Psychology, the first of which received funding from the NSF.

Monica C. Schneider is Associate Professor of Political Science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She studies gender and racial stereotypes in American politics, and the gender gap in ambition. She is also passionate about the advancement of women in the academy and improving outcomes for undergraduates. Her research has been published in many journals, including Political Psychology, Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy, Journal of Politics, Groups, and Identities, and Psychology of Women Quarterly.