1. Electoral politics : still a man's world?
Representation, equality, and the study of gender in electoral politics
Traditional gender socialization in the context of U.S. politics : the central argument and its implications
Traditional family role orientations
Masculinized ethos
Gendered psyche
Organization of the book
2. Explaining women's emergence in the political arena
Women and elective politics : the numbers
Existing explanations for women's underrepresentation
Societal rejection and cultural evolution : the discrimination explanation
Institutional inertia : the incumbency explanation
The candidate eligibility pool : the pipeline explanation
The missing piece : developing a theory of gender and political ambition
The citizen political ambition study
3. The gender gap in political ambition
Very much the same : gender, political participation, and political interest
Very much different : gender and political ambition
Stage one : considering a candidacy
Stage two : deciding to enter the first race
The "winnowing effect"
The gender gap in elective office preferences
Conclusion
4. Barefoot, pregnant, and holding a law degree : family dynamics and running for office
Raised to be a candidate?
Eligible candidates' family structure and roles
Wife, mother, and candidate? : family roles as impediments to political ambition
Are times changing? : generational differences in political ambition
Conclusion
5. Gender, party, and political recruitment
Eligible candidates' political attitudes and partisanship
Who gets asked to run for office?
Political recruitment and considering a candidacy
Conclusion
6. "I'm just not qualified" : gendered self-perceptions of candidate viability
The impact of self-perceived qualifications on political ambition
Explanations for the gender gap in self-perceived qualifications
The sexist environment
Gender differences in defining political qualifications
Different yardsticks for gauging political qualifications
Conclusion
7. Taking the plunge : deciding to run for office
Why would anyone run for office? : negative perceptions of the electoral environment and campaign process
Gender and the decision to enter a race
A side note on political culture and "structural" factors
Prospective interest in running for office
Conclusion
8. Gender and the future of electoral politics
Summarizing the findings and forecasting women's representation
Recasting the study of gender and elections
Appendix A. The citizen political ambition study sample design and data collection
Appendix B. The survey
Appendix C. The interview questionnaire
Appendix D. Variable coding.