Why women don't run: Addressing the gender disparity in political representation in the United States

honors thesisCollege of Social & Behavioral SciencePolitical ScienceMorgan Lyon CottiA record number of women were elected to Congress in the November 2014 elections, making the 114th Congress the first to boast over 100 females (McGregor, 2014). With 104 women, it seemed that the current Congress was a positive step for American political parity (Warner, 2015). However, this achievement is far from momentous considering women only gained 14 seats more than the 113th Congress (Warner, 2015). Since suffrage was achieved in 1919, the number of women in United States politics pales in comparison to other nations. In fact, the United States ranks an unimpressive 33rd globally for the number of national female legislators (DeSilver, 2015). Despite a long, hard battle for increased rights and numbers, women remain unequally represented in American politics. This thesis examines the reasons as to why women do not pursue elective office and provides suggestions as to how to increase the number of female elected officials in the United States