Gender and American Politics

Gender matters in American politics, sometimes in obvious ways and sometimes in ways rarely noticed. As manifested in the "gender gap", it inflects political attitudes and behaviors, resulting in distinctive patterns of difference and similarity in the opinions and voting behavior of men and women. It plays a role in public policy decision making on a wide range of issues, not only those related to reproduction and health. Finally, and sometimes very subtly, gender and gendered assumptions influence the operation of governmental institutions from the cabinet to Congress to the courtroom, and the ways those institutions are changing over time. This path-breaking collection of original essays systematically explores the roles of gender in American political life -- how men and women are politically the same and politically different in their attitudes and actions. Among the topics covered are political knowledge; moral decision making; patterns of participation; taxation; gender in policy debates; social policy; health policy; and women in the cabinet, the Congress, and the judiciary.