Term Limits and the Increased Election of Women: Evidence From State Legislatures and the U.S. House of Representatives

Authors

  • Stanley M. Caress

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-7781.2009.30.0.275-287

Abstract

This study seeks to determine if term limits increase the likelihood of women being elected to legislative seats. Using a simple comparison of growth rates, we found that, during the initial period of term limit implementation (1991 to 2009), the increase of females elected to state legislatures with term limits was approximately the same as to those without term limits. Additionally, a comparison of the growth rate of females elected to the non-term-limited United States House of Representatives with those of the state legislatures during this same time period shows that the U.S. House actually had a greater increase than state legislatures both with and without term limits. Moreover, in California, which has a full-time, professional state legislature with electoral dynamics similar to the U.S. House, the proportion of women elected to the state’s non-term limited U.S. House delegation from 1990 to 2009 exceeded the proportion of women elected to its term-limited state legislature. These comparisons all suggest that term limits do not facilitate the election of female candidates to legislative seats.

References

Cain, Bruce, and Thad Koussnar. 2004. Adapting to Term Limits: Recent Experiences and New Directions, Public Policy Institute of California Report.

Caress, Stanley M. 1996. The Impact of Term Limits on Legislative Behavior: An Examination of a Transitional Legislature. PS: Political Science and Politics 29:671-677. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/420790 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1049096500045649

Caress, Stanley M. 1998. The Influence of Term Limits on the Election of Women. Women and Politics 20:45-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J014v20n03_03 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1554477X.1999.9970882

Carey, John M., Richard G. Niemi, and Lynda W. Powell. 2000. Term Limits in the State Legislatures. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/mpub.10855

Carroll, Susan J. 2001. The Impact of Term Limits on Women. Spectrum: The Journal of State Government 74:19-21.

Carroll, Susan J., and Krista Jenkins. 2001. Do Term Limits Help Women Get Elected? Social Science Quarterly 82(1):197-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0038-4941.00017

Darcy, R., Susan Welch, and Janet Clark. 1994. Women, Elections, and Representation, 2nd ed. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Hill, David B. 1981. Political Culture and Female Political Representation. Journal of Politics 43:159-168. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2130244

Hodson, Timothy, Rich Jones, Karl Kurtz, and Gary Moncrief. 1995. Leaders and Limits: Changing Patterns of State Legislative Leadership Under Term Limits. Spectrum: The Journal of State Government 68:6-16.

Jacobs, Paul. 1991. Term Limits in America. Washington, DC: Cato Press.

Katches, Mark, and Daniel M. Weintraub. 1997. The Tremors of Term Limits. State Legislatures 23:20-25.

National Conference of State Legislatures. 2009. The Term Limited States. www.ncsl.org/Default.aspx?Tabld=1484. Downloaded August 3, 2009.

Nixon, David L., and R. Darcy. 1996. Special Elections and the Growth of Women's Representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Women & Politics 16:99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J014v16n04_05 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1554477X.1996.9970771

Reed, W. Robert, and D. Eric Schansberg. 1995. The House under Term Limits: What Would It Look Like? Social Science Quarterly 76:698-719.

Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2006. Where Women Run: Gender and Party in the American States. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/mpub.168630

Sarbaugh-Thompson, Marjorie, Lyke Thompsom, Charles D. Elder, John Strate, and Richard C. Elling. 2004. The Political and Institutional Effects of Term Limits. New York: Palgrave/Macmillian. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781403980250

Schwindt-Bayer, Leslie A. 2005. The incumbency disadvantage and women's election to legislative office. Electoral Studies 24:227-244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2004.05.001

Squire, Peverill. 1992. Legislative Professionalization and Membership Diversity in State Legislatures. Legislative Studies Quarterly 17(1):69-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/440081

Thompson, Joel A., and Gary F. Moncrief. 1993. The Implications of Term Limits for Women and Minorities: Some Evidence from the States. Social Science Quarterly 74:300-309.

Downloads

Published

2009-11-01

Issue

Section

Articles