Women Who Represent Men: Preserving Political Masculinities Through Women Allies
Published In
European Journal of Politics and Gender
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
7-12-2024
Abstract
The women elected to the US Congress have changed dramatically over recent decades. Those women elected before the turn of the millennium were strikingly similar: the vast majority of them were pathbreakers, many of whom had the shared experience of working their way up through local politics for years, often as “the first” woman in their respective political offices, and were usually focused on advancing legislation that disproportionately benefitted women. For example, US House Representative Nancy Johnson, first elected in 1983, was the first Republican woman to ever serve on the House Ways and Means Committee. She co-sponsored multiple bills dedicated to improving access to healthcare for women and children and described herself as “very pro-choice.”1 Women in the US legislature today, on the other hand, are significantly more diverse. These women have much more variation in racial and ethnic identity, but beyond that, they are diverse in their priorities, goals, and experiences; there is no longer an archetypal woman legislator who crosses party lines to create policy that benefits women. Rather, modern women legislators are sometimes vocal opponents of policy that would improve women’s lives.
Rights
© Author 2024/Bristol University Press
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DOI
10.1332/25151088Y2024D000000042
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42388
Citation Details
Valdini, M. E. (2024). Women who represent men: preserving political masculinities through women allies. European Journal of Politics and Gender, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1332/25151088y2024d000000042
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