Do Rural Women Run? Factors Determining Where Women Represent Open Access

Abstract

Abstract
Do Rural Women Run? Factors Determining Where Women Represent
By Rylee K. Sommers-Flanagan

Although current political science literature finds that women in the United States are more likely to run and attain political office in state legislatures - and other political offices - when they run in areas with particular demographic characteristics, most of that literature has maintained a research focus in primarily urban areas. Most researchers have simply concluded that rural areas have lower levels of these demographic features, such as high levels of diversity and high proportions of college graduates, and therefore elect fewer women to varying levels of office. However, this inquiry demonstrates that a focus on rural areas themselves is actually merited and necessary because not all of the important demographic features at play in urban areas are equally important to proportions of female representation in rural areas. By including all 49 bicameral state legislature's districts in this analysis, we are able to isolate differences between urban and rural settings, as well as differences that arise regionally, to support the notion that the conclusions of the existing literature are not generalizeable to all areas of the United States. Although interpretation is sometimes difficult due to a lack of cultural and political ideology data at the district level, there is substantial evidence to suggest that differences arise in relation to population density and region, and that these differences have been too long overlooked.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
SIGNIFICANCE OF WOMEN IN OFFICE...1
QUESTIONS...3
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE; WHERE WOMEN RUN...5

DEMOGRAPHICS...5
GENDER AS A ROLE...11
RECRUITMENT, ELIGIBILITY AND THE WORKFORCE...14
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS...17

HYPOTHESES AND RESEARCH DESIGN...21

HYPOTHESES...21
RESEARCH DESIGN...26

DATA...26
URBANIZATION...28
ANALYSIS...30

RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION...33
CONCLUSIONS AND REFLECTIONS...67
WORKS CITED...71
APPENDIX A...75
APPENDIX B...77
APPENDIX C...79
APPENDIX D...80

TABLES AND GRAPHS
1. GRAPH 1 (FEMALE BY PERCENT URBAN)...33
2. TABLE 1, BIVARIATE LOGISTIC REGRESSION WITH VARIABLES EXPECTED TO INFLUENCE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT A WOMAN WILL HOLD A SEAT REPRESENTING A GIVEN DISTRICT...34
3. GRAPH 2 (FEMALE BY PERCENT FARM)...36
4. GRAPH 3 (FEMALE BY PERCENT MINING)...37
5. GRAPH 4 (FEMALE BY PERCENT FEMALE EMPLOYMENT)...38
6. GRAPH 5 (FEMALE BY PERCENT FEMALE PROFESSIONALS)...38
7. GRAPH 6 (FEMALE BY INCOME)...39
8. GRAPH 7 (FEMALE BY PERCENT COLLEGE-EDUCATED)...40
9. GRAPH 8 (FEMALE BY IDEOLOGY)...40
10. TABLE 2A, BIVARIATE ANALYSIS BY CROSSTAB WITH VARIABLES EXPECTED TO INCLUENCE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT A WOMAN WILL HOLD A SEAT REPRESENTING A GIVEN DISTRICT...42
11. TABLE 2B, (TABLE 2A CONTINUED)...43

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	International Studies
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Political Science, General
Keyword	state legislatures female representation rural
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Reingold, Beth, Emory University
Committee Members	Walker, Thomas G, Emory University Scott, Tracy L, Emory University

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