Protest and Women's Political Participation: Results from the 2004 March for Women's Lives in Washington, D.C.

Just as we have done for many other segments of the population, scholars need to continue to look beyond simple calculations of voter turnout to determine the level of political participation among women. This case study is based on a survey of participants who attended the 2004 March for Women's Lives in Washington, D.C. Participants at the march, and therefore in the survey, were predominantly young women. The survey asked respondents a series of questions about the importance of certain political issues, strategies for empowerment, and co-sponsoring organizations of the march. The results of this analysis begin to point to factors that mobilized these young women, at the individual level, as well as the co-sponsoring organizations, into political action and the avenues they believe need to be pursued to generate political and social change. (C) 2009 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.