The number of women in public office increased dramatically in recent elections, especially in state legislatures where one-fifth of the seats are now held by women. How Women Legislate offers a uniquely comprehensive and timely study of the effects women have had on legislation and the lawmaking process, analyzing the differences between women's and men's backgrounds before entering public office, and differences in their agendas, priorities, working styles, and leadership once they are in office. Arguing that there is a significant difference in legislative outcomes when the number of women in a given legislature reaches a certain threshold, the author provides one of the first analyses of the overall effects of women on the laws that are passed and on the way legislative business is done.
Industry Reviews
"[A] major contribution....This text is one of the most comprehensive attempts to date to evaluate the impact of women not only on policy outputs but also on the legislative process itself. Political scientists who are interested in the legislatures, American politics in general, and women in politics, as well as scholars in the field of women's studies, will want this study for their personal libraries. Furthermore, the book can be used as a supplementary text
in all courses which include a focus on women's roles, attitudes, and power."--Congress and the Presidency
"Delightful to use in class. Highly organized. Makes getting the ideas across to students very easy."--Sonja Elison, Gonzaga College
"A useful book on a subject that needs more attention. I have adopted this as a supplemental text."--Bruce Altschuler, SUNY Oswego
"Informative book on a topic of current interest."--Robert Langran, Villanova University
"Delighted to have a well written, up-to-date text to use in my women and politics class."--Susan MacFarland, Wesleyan College
"Superbly accomplishes a number of significant ends: it brings our research on women in legislatures up to date, and does so from a broad comparative perspective. But even more important it brings a rich theoretical sensitivity to the question of women in elective office. Its conclusions are thoughtfully reasoned, offering us a fine framework for further explorations."--Sue Tolleson Rinehart, Texas Tech University
"A first-rate book by an up-and-coming young political scientist, likely to be the standard for some time....Interesting and important."--Barbara Sinclair, University of California, Riverside
"Goes a long way toward helping us understand how public policy and the legislative process are changing as more women enter public office. Thomas offers compelling evidence that women state legislators are making their presence felt in the political arena."--Susan J. Carroll, Rutgers University
"Represents a new generation of women and politics research. It examines what women legislators do and what impact they have. This work will be widely read and widely cited."--Susan Welch, Pennsylvania State University
"The book we've all been waiting for--a pathbreaking work that will usher in a new era of research on women and politics. Thomas reveals the importance of the 'critical mass' that women are just now reaching in state legislatures. Women do make a difference, and Thomas's outstanding work proves it."--Karen O'Connor, Emory University
"Very insightful and useful....One of the most comprehensive attempts to evaluate the impact of women not only on policy outputs but also on the legislative process itself."--Janet Clark, University of Wyoming
"Sue Thomas has written a book that all institutions will want for their libraries and many political scientists will want to acquire for their course work and personal collections. Thoroughly researched and deftly presented, How Women Legislate provides incontrovertible evidence that women in politics do make a difference."--American Political Science Review
"The latest and most complete study of the impact of the growing number of women state representatives on the procedures and policies of state governments. The research design is carefully crafted and methodologically sound. Both the methodological approach and the findings are important contributions to the study of legislative behavior."--Policy Currents
"Sue Thomas...has produced a fine account of the behavior of women in the state legislatures from the 1970s until the 1990s...she provides ample evidence to prove that legislatures are different and better places because of the rising population of women lawmakers in the past generation."--The Annals of the American Academy
"Just in her review of the last twenty years of research, Sue Thomas of Georgetown University has performed a valuable service for those of us who are interested in the questions of women's effects on the legislative process with the publication...Thomas has produced a very solid piece of empirical research which helps to shed some light on what difference women can and cannot make politically."--Women and Politics
