Left Out of the Party

Drawing on interviews and other qualitative data, chapter 4 argues that the Democratic Party’s more open and decentralized culture has allowed party elites and the party’s organizational structure to more easily accommodate demands for political equality from women and to develop a much more integrated relationship with an extended network of groups committed to electing more women. In contrast, the Republican Party’s hierarchical, top-down culture, which embraces individualism, rejects group-based claims, and holds a strong commitment to gender-neutral recruiting, has made it very difficult for the party and its extended network to recruit women candidates. There is also a self-reinforcing dynamic at work. Women in elective office tend to be more committed than men to the idea that recruiting more women is a priority, and also tend to have more women in their social networks, where much recruitment takes place. This holds true for women in both parties, but with each passing election cycle, there are quite simply more Democratic women than Republican women in positions to carry out this recruitment work.