Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-30T17:08:01.662Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Religion, Race, and Gender Differences in Political Ambition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2006

Robert G. Moore
Robert G. Moore
Affiliation:
Michigan State University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Existing studies of political ambition tell two different stories, male and female. Most research on political ambition focuses on the desire of men and women to hold political office at the state or national level and examines the ambitions of those already employed in the labor force. Scholarly inattention to ambition among activists at the local, neighborhood level may lead us to erroneous conclusions about people's motivations for engaging in politics, particularly along racial lines. A focus on those already in the workforce may distort our understanding of the factors that drive the political ambitions of women in particular. This study confirms that men and women have distinct paths of family socialization, qualifications, high school and college socialization, and life situations on the trail to ambition. It also shows that the local context changes the explanations for ambition. In particular, race, combined with the holding of conservative religious beliefs, varies in its impact upon white and minority women's expressions of ambition for future public office. In addition, the experience of sex discrimination has the countersocialization effect of increasing women's ambition.Previous versions of this paper were presented at the 2003 meetings of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois and the 2005 meetings of the Southern Political Science Association, New Orleans, Louisiana. I would like to thank William G. Jacoby, Marcia Moore, the editors and anonymous reviewers for their generous comments in the preparation of this manuscript. Also thanks to Kay Lehman Schlozman and David Campbell for their comments and redirection on a much earlier version of this work.

Type
Research Article
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 1 , Issue 4 , December 2005 , pp. 577 - 596
Copyright
© 2005 The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abramson, Paul R., John H. Aldrich, and David W. Rohde. 1987. “Progressive Ambition among United States Senators: 1972–1988.” Journal of Politics 49 (February): 3–25.Google Scholar
Allison, Paul D. 2002. Missing Data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Ammerman, Nancy T. 1982. “Operationalizing Evangelicalism: An Amendment.” Sociological Analysis 43 (Summer): 170–72.Google Scholar
Bennett, Linda L., and Stephen Earl Bennett. 1989. “Enduring Gender Differences in Political Interest: The Impact of Socialization and Political Dispositions.” American Politics Quarterly 17 (January): 105–22.Google Scholar
Bennett, Stephen. 1988. “Know-Nothings Revisited: The Meaning of Political Ignorance Today.” Social Science Quarterly 69 (June): 476–90.Google Scholar
Bledsoe, Timothy, and Mary Herring. 1990. “Victims of Circumstances: Women in Pursuit of Political Office.” American Political Science Review 84 (March): 213–23.Google Scholar
Brace, Paul. 1984. “Progressive Ambition in the House: A Probabilistic Approach.” Journal of Politics 46 (May): 556–71.Google Scholar
Burns, Nancy, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Sidney Verba. 2001. The Private Roots of Public Action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Burtway, Barbara J., and Rita-Mae Kelly. 1992. “Gender and Sustaining Political Ambition: A Study of Arizona Elected Officials.” Western Political Quarterly 45 (March): 11–25.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. 1994. Women as Candidates in American Politics. 2d ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Carroll, Susan J., and Wendy S. Strimling. 1983. Women's Routes to Elective Office: A Comparison With Men's. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP).
Clark, Janet, Charles D. Hadley, and Robert Darcy. 1989. “Political Ambition Among Men and Women State Party Leaders: Testing the Countersocialization Perspective.” American Politics Quarterly 17 (April): 194–207.Google Scholar
Clogg, Clifford C., Eva Petkova, and Adamantios Haritou. 1995. “Statistical Methods for Comparing Regression Coefficients Between Models.” American Journal of Sociology 100 (March): 1261–93.Google Scholar
Conover, Pamela. 1988. “Feminists and the Gender Gap.” Journal of Politics 50 (November): 985–1010.Google Scholar
Constantini, Edmond 1990. “Political Women and Political Ambition: Closing the Gender Gap.” American Journal of Political Science 34 (August): 741–70.Google Scholar
Constantini, Edmond, and Julie Davis Bell. 1984. “Women in Political Parties: Gender Differences in Motives Among California Party Activists.” In Political Women: Current Roles in State and Local Government, ed. Janet Flammang. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 58–81.
Constantini, Edmond, and Kenneth H. Craig. 1977. “Women as Politicians: The Social Background, Personality and Political Careers of Female Party Leaders.” In A Portrait of Marginality, ed. Marianne Githens and Jewel L. Prestage. New York: McKay, 178–95.
Constantini, Edmond, and Joel King. 1984. “The Motives of Political Party Activists: A Factor-Analysis Exploration.” Political Behavior 6 (January): 79–93.Google Scholar
Cook, Elizabeth Adell, and Clyde Wilcox. 1991. “Feminism and the Gender Gap—A Second Look.” Journal of Politics 53 (November): 1111–22.Google Scholar
Darcy, Robert, Susan Welch, and Janet Clark. 1994. Women Elections and Representation. 2d ed. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Darnell, Alfred, and Darren E. Sherkat. 1997. “The Impact of Protestant Fundamentalism on Educational Attainment.” American Sociological Review 62 (April): 306–15.Google Scholar
Delli Carpini, Michael X., and Scott Keeter. 1996. What Americans Know About Politics and Why It Matters. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Farah, Barbara G., and Virginia Sapiro. 1980. “New Pride and Old Prejudice: Political Ambition and Role Orientations Among Female Party Elites.” Women and Politics 1 (June): 13–36.Google Scholar
Fowler, Linda L., and Robert McClure. 1989. Political Ambition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Fowler, R. Booth. 1986. “The Feminist and Anti-Feminist Debate Within Evangelical Protestantism.” Women and Politics 9 (June): 27–50.Google Scholar
Fowlkes, Diane. 1984. “Ambitious Political Women: Countersocialization and Political Party Context.” Women and Politics 5 (Winter): 11–26.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L. 1997. Gender Dynamics in Congressional Elections. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Fox, Richard L., and Jennifer L. Lawless. 2003. “Family Structure, Sex-Role Socialization and the Decision to Run for Office.” Women and Politics 24 (Winter): 19–48.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Jennifer L. Lawless. 2004. “Entering the Arena? Gender and the Decision to Run for Office.” American Journal of Political Science 48 (July): 264–80.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Jennifer L. Lawless. 2005. “To Run or Not to Run for Office: Explaining Nascent Political Ambition.” American Journal of Political Science 49 (3): 642–59.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., Jennifer L. Lawless, and Courtney Feeley. 2001. “Gender and the Decision to Run for Office.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 26 (August): 411–35.Google Scholar
Galinsky, Ellen, and James T. Bond. 1996. “Work and Family: The Experiences of Mothers and Fathers in the U.S. Labor Force.” In The American Woman, 1996–1997, ed. Cynthia Costello and Barbara Kivimae. New York: W. W. Norton, 77–103.
Hibbing, John R. 1993. “The Career Paths of Members of Congress.” In Ambition and Beyond, ed. Shirley Williams and Edward Lascher. Berkeley, CA: Institute of Governmental Studies Press, 109–33.
Jennings, M. Kent, and Barbara G. Farah. 1981. “Social Roles and Political Resources: An Over Time Study of Men and Women in Party Elites.” American Journal of Political Science 25 (August): 462–82.Google Scholar
Jennings, M. Kent, and Richard G. Niemi 1981. Generations and Politics: A Panel Study of Young Adults and Their Parents. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Jennings, M. Kent, and Norman Thomas. 1968. “Men and Women in Party Elites.” Midwest Journal of Political Science 7 (November): 469–72.Google Scholar
Kirkpatrick, Jeane J. 1974. Political Woman. New York: Basic Books.
Layman, Geoffrey C. 1997. “Religion and Political Behavior in the U.S.: The Impact of Beliefs, Affiliations and Commitment from 1980–1994.” Public Opinion Quarterly 61 (June): 288–316.Google Scholar
Lee, Marcia Manning. 1976. “Why So Few Women Hold Public Office: Democracy and Sex Roles.” Political Science Quarterly 91 (Summer): 297–314.Google Scholar
Manza, Jeff, and Clem Brooks. 1997. “The Religious Factor in U.S. Presidential Elections, 1960–1992.” American Journal of Sociology 103 (July): 38–81.Google Scholar
McKenzie, Brian D. 2001. “Self Selection, Church Attendance and Local Civic Participation.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 40 (September): 479–88.Google Scholar
Merritt, Sharyne. 1977. “Winners and Losers: Sex Differences in Municipal Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 21 (November): 731–44.Google Scholar
Mezey, Susan Gluck. 1978. “Does Sex Make a Difference? A Case Study of Women in Politics.” Western Political Quarterly 31 (December): 492–501.Google Scholar
Peek, Charles W., and Sharon Brown. 1980. “Sex Prejudice Among White Protestants: Like or Unlike Ethnic Prejudice.” Social Forces 59 (September): 169–85.Google Scholar
Peek, Charles W., George D. Lowe, and Susan Williams. 1991. “Gender and God's Word: Another Look at Religious Fundamentalism.” Social Forces 69 (June): 1205–21.Google Scholar
Prinz, Timothy S. 1993. “The Career Paths of Elected Politicians: A Review and Prospectus.” In Ambition and Beyond: Career Paths of American Politicians, ed. Shirley Williams, and Edward L. Lascher, Jr., Berkeley, CA: Institute of Governmental Studies Press, 11–63.
Rohde, David W. 1979. “Risk-Bearing and Progressive Ambition: The Case of the U.S. House of Representatives.” American Journal of Political Science 23 (February): 1–26.Google Scholar
Sapiro, Virginia. 1982. “Private Costs of Public Commitments or Public Costs of Private Commitments? Family Roles versus Political Ambition.” American Journal of Political Science 26 (May): 265–79.Google Scholar
Schlesinger, Joseph A. 1966. Ambition and Politics: Political Careers in the United States. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Sherkat, Darren E. 2000. “‘That They Be Keepers of the Home’: The Effect of Conservative Religion on Early and Late Transitions into Housewifery.” Review of Religious Research 41 (March): 344–58.Google Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1998. “Introduction: Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future.” In Women and Elective Office, ed. S. Thomas and C. Wilcox. New York: Oxford University Press, 1–14.
Verba, Sidney, Nancy Burns, and Kay Lehman Schlozman. 1997. “Knowing and Caring About Politics: Gender and Political Engagement.” Journal of Politics 59 (November): 1051–72.Google Scholar
Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Henry E. Brady. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, Henry E. Brady, and Norman Nie. AMERICAN CITIZEN PARTICIPATION STUDY, 1990 [Computer file]. ICPSR version. Chicago: University of Chicago, National Opinion Research Center (NORC) [producer], 1995. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1995.
Winship, Christopher, and Larry Radbill. 1994. “Sampling Weights and Regression Analysis.” Sociological Methods and Research 23 (November): 230–57.Google Scholar