Women remain less ambitious for local elected office than men, according to a new analysis by political scientists. The researchers surveyed 2,000 civically and politically engaged Americans and found that women express lower interest in pursuing local positions, even as those who do express ambition tend to focus exclusively on local rather than state or federal roles.
The gender gap in local political ambition stems from lower confidence among women in their ability to serve, the study found. Women view themselves as underqualified despite often being overqualified on paper. They also receive less encouragement from family and community networks to pursue local office.
Women surveyed cited concerns about harassment and violence as a factor. Women holding local office across the country report increasing levels of harassment and threats. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, was subjected to stalking this year.
Women who expressed interest in local office focused on community problem-solving. Respondents emphasized motivations like improving "quality of life and access to services" and addressing "affordable housing," "crime," "poverty," and "corruption." By contrast, men tended to view local office primarily as a pathway to higher office.
The researchers noted differences across identity groups. Black women concentrated their ambitions at the local level, while Hispanic women were more likely to look beyond local office. Trans and nonbinary people were more ambitious for local compared to higher office, whereas LGB-identifying respondents were not particularly ambitious for any level of office.
The study was conducted by Christina Wolbrecht, Mirya Holman, and Lakshmi Iyer and published in the Elements in Gender and Politics series from Cambridge University Press.