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9781498529846

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Owen explores a critical but ignored aspect of efforts to increase the ranks of women officeholders. Using interviews and statistical models Owen details the role of mentorship in helping women successfully run for Congress and governorships. -- Charles S. Bullock III, University of Georgia Combining three decades of electoral data with in-depth interviews with 65 female office-holders from the halls of Congress to state legislature across the country, Karen Owen provides us with unique insight into how political role models motivate women to run for office. Bringing together research on strategic decision-making, political opportunity structures, historical accounts and psychology, she provides compelling evidence that symbolic representation-having female role models-matters a great deal. Women serving in high-level public office not only deliberately work to elect more women, but through their visibility as examples of success, also have a powerful effect on social attitudes towards women and inspire other women to run. If you have ever wondered if it makes a difference to have a woman in high-level political office, this book will give you the answer. A detailed and illuminating account of the importance and variety of female political role models. -- Barbara Palmer, Baldwin Wallace University

Author Information

Karen L. Owen is assistant professor of political science and the director of the Master of Public Administration program at Reinhardt University.

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