The influence of state and district conditions on the representation of women in US state legislatures

Women hold slightly more than one fifth of all seats in state legislatures in the United States. This analysis examines why women are elected more often in some states and districts than in others. Using logistic regression, a variety of explanations related to differences in culture, institutions, electoral structures, and demographic features are found to influence the probability that women are elected. Findings show that free-for-all districts increase the chances that women are represented; however, when considered in conjunction with other contextual features, this factor's influence is far from overwhelming. The findings have implications for modeling aspects of the electoral process as well as for informing the policy debate over reforms intended to bring about more equitable representation. Results show that altering current electoral procedures presently used in state legislatures will have only a limited impact on the number of women legislators. Of the factors examined, political culture and education are two of the most influential, yet the most difficult to change.