In 2004 and again in 2008, Jennifer Lawless (Director, Women & Politics Institute, American University) and Robert Fox published reports that examine why women don’t run for elected position. The first was called Why Don’t Women Run For Office?, and Why Are Women Still Not Running For Office? was the follow up. Both reports eventually were published as books.
While seen as mostly accurate in nailing a number of issues related to the paucity of women in elected office, especially the suggestion that women may be victims of an ambition gap, there also was some criticism of that perspective being placed above systemic sexism.
I personally don’t buy the ambition gap per se, or even the assertion in an article from just a few weeks ago, Stagnating Gains For Women in Politics, that “The central obstacle to getting more women in elected office is the fact that they are less likely to even want to run for office.” [bold emphasis is mine]
Instead, as Lawless’ work is cited as finding in, Glass Starting Gate: Voters Will Elect Them, But Women Still Have to Run, it’s not that women don’t want to run.
Read what really holds the numbers down on women in political office at the full post here.