Women’s participation in the United States is shaped by the changing landscape of the country’s cultural history. Through an exploration of the political socialization of women, the authors give students a powerful way to understand the gender gap in political attitudes, patterns of women’s political participation, and women as members of the political elite.

For this new second edition the authors have updated every chapter with new content and data. Greater coverage of the interaction of gender, race, class, ethnicity, and age is integrated throughout and alongside additional material on feminism, Title IX, origins of the gender gap, and more on agents of socialization.

Women’s participation in the United States is shaped by the changing landscape of the country’s cultural history. Through an exploration of the political socialization of women, the authors give students a powerful way to understand the gender gap in political attitudes, patterns of women’s political participation, and women as members of the political elite.

For this new second edition the authors have updated every chapter with new content and data. Greater coverage of the interaction of gender, race, class, ethnicity, and age is integrated throughout and alongside additional material on feminism, Title IX, origins of the gender gap, and more on agents of socialization.

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CHAPTER 1. Women, Culture, and Political Participation

• Women’s Status in a Liberal Culture
• Women and Cultural Change
• Women’s Political Participation: Colonial Times to 1920

• Cultural Change and Gender Role Expectations
• Gender Role Expectations and Political Socialization
• Cultural Change and the Agents of Socialization
• It’s a Man’s World, but Times Are Changing

• Explaining Gender Differences in Political
• Orientation
• Gender Differences in Political Preferences

• Patterns of Group Consciousness
• Relationship Between Feminist Orientation and Political Attitudes and Policy Preferences
• Assessing the Political Implications of Differences in Policy Preferences

• Patterns of Political Participation
• Explanations for Patterns of Political Participation

• Women, Power, and the Political Culture
• Women’s Political Participation: A Closer Look
• Women as Officeholders
• Conclusion

• From The Past to The Present
• The Outlook for Women: Positive Signs, Negative Portents

M. Margaret Conway is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida. Among her publications are Political Participation in the United States, Third Edition (2000), The Politics of Asian American (2004), and Women and Political Participation, Second Edition (2005) and Women and Public Policy, Third Edition (2005), on which she is coauthor. She has published widely in academic journals, including the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, andWomen and Politics.

David W. Ahern is professor of political science at the University of Dayton. He is coauthor of Women and Political Participation, Second Edition (2005). His articles on political socialization have appeared in Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Behavior, and Simulation and Games.

Gertrude A. Steuernagel is professor of political science at Kent State University. She is coauthor of Women and Political Participation, Second Edition (2005), and Women and Public Policy, Third Edition (2005). Her research and teaching interests include women and politics, women's health, autism policy, and political theory.