Women in Politics Celinda Lake March 10, 2004

1. Women in Politics Celinda Lake March 10, 2004

2. In the history of Congress, there have been: 10,469 members of the House of Representatives 10,276 men and 193 women 1,872 members of the Senate 1,839 men and 33 women

3. In General Social Surveys polls, voters overwhelmingly said they would vote for a qualified woman of their party for President. If your party nominated a woman for President, would you vote for her is she were qualified for the job? Source: General Social Surveys 1972-1998.

4. People are increasingly comfortable with women’s leadership.How comfortable would you personally be with a woman in this job – very comfortable, somewhat comfortable, a little comfortable, or not comfortable at all?* 87% 86% 84% 82% 78% MOST COMFORTABLE 82% 81% 78% 82% 78% *Question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

5. Voters have the least comfort with a woman as President.How comfortable would you personally be with a woman in this job – very comfortable, somewhat comfortable, a little comfortable, or not comfortable at all?* 80% 81% LEAST COMFORTABLE 76% 81% 68% *Question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

6. Men are least comfortable with a woman as President, while women are least comfortable with a woman as Vice President or CEO of a Fortune 500 company.How comfortable would you personally be with a woman in this job – very comfortable, somewhat comfortable, a little comfortable, or not comfortable at all?* (only % very comfortable shown) *Question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

7. In terms of professions, voters most prefer women as a CEO of a clothing company, an HMO administrator and a teacher. Would you prefer a man or woman in this position or don’t you have a preference?* Net +18 Net +14 Net +10 MOST PREFERRED Net +5 Net +5 Net +1 Net 0 Net -1 MAN WOMAN *Question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

8. In terms of professions, voters resist a woman as President of the U.S., governor, or CEO of large corporations.Would you prefer a man or woman in this position or don’t you have a preference?* Net -4 Net -4 Net -6 LEAST PREFERRED Net -6 Net -7 Net -8 Net -12 MAN WOMAN *Question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

9. Both men and women prefer men in high executive positions. Men have a much stronger preference than women for a male U.S. PresidentWould you prefer a man or a woman in this position or don’t you have a preference?* LEAST PREFERRED *Question asked of half the sample. NET PREFER MAN NET PREFER WOMAN LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

10. Young women prefer women as Vice President and as a teacher, but show little support for women as the CFO of a large company or Attorney General of their state.Would you prefer a man or a woman in this position or don’t you have a preference?* Net +17 Net +5 Net +25 Net +12 TEACHER Net -7 Net -4 Net -10 Net -3 CFO OF LARGE CO. Net -7 Net -4 Net -7 Net +14 VICE PRESIDENT Net -23 Net -9 Net -21 Net +1 PRESIDENT Net -13 Net -1 Net -4 Net 0 ATTORNEY GENERAL *Question asked of half the sample. PREFER MAN PREFER WOMAN LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

11. Men and women would each prefer a business head or boss that is of their own gender, but majorities of both say it makes no difference. Noticeably, men’s preferences for a male company head and male boss are equally strong, while women prefer a female company head by double digits, but split on a woman boss. All other things being equal, would you prefer a man or woman to be head of your business?* All other things being equal, would you prefer a man or woman to be your boss?* Net -2 Net -15 Net +10 Net -8 Net -18 Net +2 *Each question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

12. Voters give a woman presidential candidate the advantage on the issues that matter most to them. Do you think a man or a woman running for president would do a better job on handling this issue? Net +36 Net +31 Net +28 WOMAN BETTER JOB Net +18 Net +11 MAN WOMAN LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

13. Voters lean toward thinking a man would do better than a woman on the economy and crime, but women lag far behind on foreign policy and defense. Do you think a man or a woman running for president would do a better job on handling this issue? Net -7 Net -8 MAN BETTER JOB Net -20 Net -34 MAN WOMAN LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

14. Women and men uniformly favor men on defense and foreign policy, but disagree on whether a man or woman is better able to handle taxes, spending, the economy, and crime. Do you think a man or a woman running for president would do a better job on handling this issue? GOVT SPENDING Net -6 Net 0 ECONOMY Net -14 Net -1 CRIME & VIOLENCE Net -13 Net -3 Net -24 Net -17 FOREIGN POLICY Darker color = Much better Lighter color = Somewhat better Net -37 Net -32 DEFENSE MAN BETTER WOMAN BETTER LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

15. Women candidates are perceived to care more about people, have the ability to balance work and family, and be honest. Does this trait describe a man or a woman running for President, Senator, or Governor better?* Net +30 Net +27 Net +24 Net +13 Darker color = Much better Lighter color = Somewhat better Net +9 MAN BETTER WOMAN BETTER *Question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

16. Voters split on whether women or men are better at innovation, vision, effectiveness, or decisiveness.Does this trait describe a man or a woman running for President, Senator, or Governor better?* Net +2 Net -1 Net -3 Darker color = Much better Lighter color = Somewhat better Net -4 MAN BETTER WOMAN BETTER *Question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

17. Women candidates trail men on the traditionally male qualities of strength and toughness. Does this trait describe a man or a woman running for President, Senator, or Governor better?* Net -16 Net -19 Darker color = Much better Lighter color = Somewhat better MAN BETTER WOMAN BETTER *Question asked of half the sample. LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

18. Both men and women agree that men are stronger and tougher.Does this trait describe a man or woman running for President, Senator, or Governor better?* AGREE MAN BETTER Net -25 Net -7 STRONG LEADER Darker color = Much better Lighter color = Somewhat better Net -25 Net -14 TOUGH *Question asked of half the sample. MAN BETTER WOMAN BETTER LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

19. Voters give men slight advantages on dealing with a recession and uncertainty, and a strong advantage on working with other countries and on foreign policy.As President of the United States, do you think a man or woman would do a better job with this situation?* Net -7 Net -8 Net -19 Net -20 MAN BETTER WOMAN BETTER *Question asked of half the sample. Darker color = Much better Lighter color = Somewhat better LSPA/American Viewpoint poll; 800 likely voters nationwide, Sept 29-Oct 4,1999

20. Impact of Women’s Presence on the Legislative Process How much of a difference has the increased presence of women in your house made in… The extent to which legislative business is conducted in public view rather than behind closed doors? The extent to which the economically disadvantaged have access to the legislature? The way legislators conduct themselves on the floor of the legislature? The extent to which the legislature is sympathetic to the concerns of racial and ethnic minority groups? SOURCE: Center for American Women and Politics

21. Experiences of Women in the Legislature Solid=Agree Hashed=Disagree Women Men Women Men Women Men The women in my legislature work harder than the men. The leaders in my legislature are as likely to consult with the women in the legislature as the men when making important decisions. Most men in my legislature are supportive of moving women into leadership positions. SOURCE: Center for American Women and Politics

22. Republican female legislators are majority conservative, and have grown more conservative since 1998. 64 percent of Republican male legislators are conservative Republican female legislators have grown more conservative over time: 56 percent in 2001; 43 percent in 1998. SOURCE: Center for American Women and Politics

23. Policy opinions by Gender and Party Identification Percent who favor A law banning the possession of handguns except by the police and other authorized persons. A law which would allow your state to give preferences in job hiring and school admission on the basis of race. A constitutional amendment to permit prayer in the public schools. A law giving parents the government-funded school vouchers to pay for tuition at the public, private, or religious school of their choice. A law that would allow gay and lesbian couple to legally form civil unions, giving them some of the legal rights of married couples. A law that would provide harsher penalties for hate crimes. SOURCE: Center for American Women and Politics