The Impact of Women in Public Office (review)

Has the increasing presence of American women in public office in recent decades made any difference to public policy and the political process? In her introduction to this collection, Carroll's summary answer to this broad question is "yes"; women in office are changing politics in both obvious and subtle ways. The eleven essays collected in this volume demonstrate this positive conclusion while raising even more interesting questions about the impact of women and gender on politics.

The book, divided into three sections, begins with four chapters that examine women in state and local offices. The first two chapters report strong gender differences in policymaking areas at the state level, especially those relating to women, children, and families. Carroll's national study of state legislators find that more women than men focus on what have been deemed "women's issues." Lyn Kathlene, in a study of women and men in the Colorado House of Representatives that also emphasizes gender differences, draws on the theoretical insights of Gilligan, describing women as having a "contextual" and men as "instrumental" approach to politics.¹

The next two essays move to the local level. Susan Beck's study of a cluster of suburban towns provides evidence of how gender differences are minimized in a context of limited resources. Janet Boles' study of officeholders in Milwaukee argues that local elected women serve as "feminist trustees" of women's issues.

Part II of the book opens with an essay by Janann Sherman about pioneering woman politician Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, whose political career came to an end, in part, because she was not the type of "trustee" described by Boles for a new generation of feminists in the 1960s. The essay by Nancy E. McGlen and Meredith Reid Sarkees about women in the departments of State and Defense concludes that only women career officers in the State Department differed significantly from men in their views, taking more moderate positions than their male counterparts. Sue Tolleson-Rinehart maintains that the context of local politics minimizes gender differences among the mayors of large cities. Sue Thomas and Susan Welch emphasize the importance of women legislators' interactions with other women; when women legislators are surrounded and supported by other women, they tend to have a greater impact on "women's issues."

Part III shifts the focus to "identity politics." Edith J. Barrett explores how race and gender work together to form a unique legislative identity for black women. Elaine Martin's study of judges follows the impact of feminism on judicial behavior and raises questions about self-identity and group politics on judicial decision making. Debra Dodson's examination of the relationship between feminist identity and policymaking among state legislators concludes, like many of the others presented herein, that women have had a positive impact on the political realm in the recent past.

These essays demonstrate the excellent research being done on women and gender in politics. They range widely not only in subject matter—moving from local to national levels—but also in the contemporary issues that they address. Their methodological and theoretical emphases will be of value and interest to both political scientists and historians.