Entering the Arena: Gender and the Initial Decision to Run for Office.

A glance at the top elective offices in the American political system exposes a deep gender disparity: 87% of U.S. senators, 86% of the members of the House of Representatives, 90% of state governors, 88% of big city mayors, and 78% of state legislators are currently male. Despite these large gender disparities in elective office, investigators conclude that there is little or no evidence of bias against women candidates. In terms of fundraising and vote totals, often considered the two most important indicators of electoral success, investigators find that women fare at least as well as their male counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]