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This paper examines the function of gender in print political advertisements distributed during two 2002 US Senate races involving women candidates. In addition to examining the ads produced by the candidates, this paper also analyzes gender messages in the ads distributed by political parties and interest groups involved in the races. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased numbers of women in political office and women running for political office have been shown to be connected to more political discussion among women and young women. These studies point to the cues that women in political leadership have on women in society as an encouragement that female political participation is legitimate (Atkeson, 2003) (Wolbrecht & Campbell, 2007). These analyses have focused more directly on the United States and Europe. A more encompassing cross-national analysis is needed to examine the connection between women in political positions and political discussion among women. A large cross-national study that examines the connection between female political discussion and female political representation will be able to show whether the connections found in the United States and Europe are the same throughout different political and cultural contexts. This paper intends to build upon the work of Wolbrecht and Campbell (2007) by doing a cross-national analysis of the relationship between political discussion in society among women and the percentage of women in the national legislatures. The data for this analysis will use a set of 47 countries from diverse political, cultural, and economic backgrounds. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents research which examined the role of women political consultants in the U.S. Congressional campaigns. Impact of women political consultants on the outcome of campaigns; Assessment of the political participation of elite women; Analysis of the existence of gender gap in U.S. politics.

Discusses the impact of descriptive representation on women's political engagement. Aspects of the legislative behavior of female politicians in the U.S.; Significance of changes in women's descriptive or numerical representation in politics to the country's political system; Factors which motivate women to pursue administrative positions in public offices.

Examines the causes for the relatively poor showing of women political candidates in the U.S. congressional elections in 2002. Examination of the types of seats women contested; Effects of the political climate on the candidacy of women; Communication of women candidates with voters.

This paper examines the factors that shape women's evolving political behavior. While most of the extant research on women in politics has focused on the impact of sex as a political variable, this paper seeks to explain the growing importance of party identification on the political behavior of female elected officials. Building on previous research that suggests that Democratic men may be more likely than Republican women to support pro-feminist/women's issues, this research seeks to examine the effect of party on the political behavior of women in office. By using longitudinal data on female elected officials, this paper addresses whether marked differences exists between the responsiveness of Democratic and Republican women to the interests of their political parties concerning issues traditionally defined as important to women. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite witnessing a slow and steady increase in the numbers of women serving in virtually all executive government positions across the country, we know little about the ways in which these women exert influence in national governance. Women who serve in presidential cabinets are particularly well positioned to shape the contours of public policy like few other executives in the country. Nonetheless, presidential scholars and those who study women and politics have left relatively unexplored the question of how media coverage may shape these women's ability to contribute to policymaking. This project forges new ground by examining a select group of male and female cabinet secretaries from the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. We conduct content analysis of media stories to estimate whether or not gender shapes the media coverage received by cabinet secretaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we expand the existing research on symbolic representation by examining simultaneously the influence of race and gender on political engagement. Using ANES data from 1990 to 2004, we test whether black female empowerment positively influences a broad range of political attitudes and behaviors: political interest, knowledge, trust, efficacy, discussion, proselytizing, and voting. While we expect to find a strong correlation between black female empowerment and African American political participation, we anticipate that the empowering effect black female candidates and officeholders will be strongest for African American women in the electorate. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the increasing Latino population in the United States, more attention is turning to the extent to which Latinos are represented in legislative institutions. This article examines the conditions under which Latinas are elected to Congress and state legislatures throughout the United States. In particular, this article finds that Latinas have benefited from elite driven methods, features of the electoral system, and the discretion to use or not use their Latino surnames dependent on electoral context. Like all other legislators, once in office, Latinas are especially concerned with representing their districts and all of their constituents, regardless of background. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, scholars have found that women's underrepresentation in political office in the U.S. is in large part due to women's unwillingness to run for public office. I hypothesize that women's unwillingness to run is based in part on self-presentational concerns. In politics, image matters. A politician must convey competency, credibility, assertiveness, and attentiveness. The primary means by which impressions are conveyed by politicians is through the media. To the extent that women are aware of the scrutiny female politicians are subjected to by the press, they have to consider their self-presentational goals and abilities (do they feel comfortable under such scrutiny) to a greater extent than do men. I have conducted a pilot study investigating the relationship between self-presentational goals and political ambition with a survey of 268 college students (Smith 2006). The results of the pilot study are suggestive that self-presentational concerns matter for young women more than for young men in their decision to consider seeking public office. In this study, I administer a similar survey to approximately 2000 students at eight geographically-dispersed universities throughout the United States to examine how self-presentational goals and socialization interact to influence young women's political ambition. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]