Why gender matters: The perceptions of women officeholders

Using interviews of over 50 women state legislators from across six states, I explore their perceptions of the ways in which women's legislative life differs from men's. Specifically, I investigate their views of the ways the role of woman and the role of legislator affect career success and effectiveness, as well as the collective implications of those perceptions. The theoretical framework used to ground the empirical findings concerns women's status as a political minority at the elite level as well as outsiders and newcomers to those roles. I conclude that women in political office face the need for alternative role development that neither replicates the male model nor relies upon traditional female private sphere roles.