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Women in the State Legislatures

Feminist Identity and Legislative Behaviors

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Lynne E. Ford

College of Charleston

Much of the previous research examining the differences that an increased number of women make in state legislatures has been done by comparing women's actions and behaviors to those of their male colleagues. Most of these studies have discovered behavioral and attitudinal differences between female and male legislators, but few seek to examine the source of these differences. Conover demonstrated that, among the mass public, a feminist identity can help explain political differences between women and men and also among women. In this research, the authors seek to examine elite behavior in the same context by focusing on state legislators. Specifically, the authors investigate the degree to which possessing a feminist identity influences the legislative behaviors and priorities of female state legislators.

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