Municipal Electoral Structure and the Election of Councilwomen

Abstract

A survey of the 946 American cities having populations in excess of 25,000 in 1980 reveals very little relationship between election structures and the presence of women on their councils. These results hold for the full data set as well as for four regional subsets. The evidence does not sustain the desirability hypothesis that suggests women will less often be elected in cities where the position is more valued. Women serve somewhat more frequently in the West, as expected, however, the proposition that the South will have a small proportion female on its councils is not borne out.