American Indian Women Leaders, Public Policy, and the Importance of Gender and Ethnic Identity

Abstract American Indian women are playing an increasingly important role as policymakers in state, local, and tribal politics. Despite their activity and impact, however, few studies examine their political agendas or public policy preferences. One exception is Mela-nie McCoy's 1992 study of female tribal leaders published in Wo m e n & Politics. Like McCoy, we explore the research questions: What are the public policy agendas of American Indian women leaders? What do they wish to accomplish? What motivates them? Does their gender and/or ethnic identity have an influence on their political participation? Whereas McCoy's sample consists of female tribal officials from across the United States, we interviewed Indian women in elected or appointed positions in state, local, and tribal government in New Mexico. In her study, McCoy concluded that “the disadvantaged condition of Indians appears to have more influence on leaders' political behavior than either gender or ethnicity” (1992, 57). However, we find that both gender and ethnic identity are significant influences for Indian women holding public office in New Mexico. Furthermore, the difference in our findings is due to the cultural and structural restrictions placed on women by the more traditional tribes in New Mexico.