2005/11/01 by Jennifer L. Lawless, Sean M. Theriault · 3 citations
Social Sciences · #Gender Politics and Representation #Social Policy and Reform Studies #Electoral Systems and Political Participation
paper · doi:10.3162/036298005x201680
openalex publication_date 2005/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
This article offers the first broad-based, systematic, times-series assessment of the gender dynamics underlying congressional retirement. We extend the body of work on gender and representation by using the congressional retirement literature to develop an argument that accounts for the gender gap in the average length of congressional service. Our results indicate that women are less willing than men to remain in Congress when their ability to influence the legislative agenda stalls. Because of women's relatively early departures from the House of Representatives, our analysis suggests that prospects for women's representation are less promising than the conventional wisdom suggests.