The Non Representation of Gender

This article analyzes the behavior and ideas of school committee members in Massachusetts and finds that women in this political context generally fail to substantively represent the interests of their own gender. While the literature on women political elites at the national and state levels suggests that increasing the number of women will increase the representation of women's political interests, the findings of this study indicate that increasing the numbers of women elected officials may not always lead to more representation for women. The study indicates the need for further research in different institutional contexts to determine why women's interests are represented in some governing bodies but not others.