More Women = Less Gridlock: How 2014 & 2016 May Reshape Politics

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More Women = Less Gridlock: How 2014 & 2016 May Reshape Politics

by Molly Jackman at Brookings

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/fixgov/posts/2013/11/8-female-candidates-and-gridlock-jackman?fb_action_ids=10201865624536739&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map

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The reputation of women as consensus builders in Congress is not just a phenomenon of the shutdown. Women and men have inherently different leadership approaches, and there is a substantial academic literature to prove it. Decades of research shows that male legislators tend to be individualist and competitive, while women are more collaborative and consensus driven. As former Representative Barbara Jordan (D-TX) said in 1991, “Women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which a man structurally does not have.”

But women’s political edge transcends their “structural” advantage. Female legislators invest more time building within- and across-party coalitions with both men and women – and it pays off. In a recently published study of the U.S. Congress from 1973-2008, Volden, Wiseman, and Wittmer show that female legislators are 10% more effective (meaning that the bills they sponsor are more likely to pass) than their male counterparts. Moreover, minority party status – typically viewed as crippling to one’s agenda – is not nearly as much of a detriment to women. Indeed, women are 28% more effective than men when in the minority party—regardless of whether those female legislators are moderates or mainstream partisans. Put simply, women’s capacity (and willingness) to collaborate with those across the aisle makes them better legislators.

The shutdown highlighted women’s ability to act when men weren’t able to get the job done. Thus, one clear lesson from the shutdown is that having women in government is a really good thing. As Harvard Kennedy School Lecturer Swanee Hunt put it, “We can stop the cross-aisle squabbling. Elect more women. We know how to do it.”
Gender, then, has become a strategic advantage for women running for office – making the odds of winning as a female candidate particularly good. So, it is not surprising that more women are seizing this opportunity to run. Moreover, since the expected payoffs from running are particularly high, we should expect the pool of female candidates to be exceptionally strong. Qualified women may have been discouraged from running in previous elections if the opportunity costs associated with a campaign exceeded the expected benefits: businesses (and families) must be put on hold or lower-level political roles must be relinquished. Yet, with the increased probability of success, they may be willing to give it a shot now, even if they weren’t in the past. As a result, 2014 (or 2016) may not just be the “Year of the Women” - it could be the year that puts the nation back on track toward effective governance.


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1. Maybe the meme of the 2014 election should be kick the bums out - elect women!!!

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2. "With Hillary Clinton as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination ..."

Uh huh ...