Are Women Legislators Less Effective? Evidence from the U.S. House in the 103rd-105th Congress

Abstract

We compare the ability of female and male members of the House of Representatives to turn policy preferences into law—something we label “legislative effectiveness.” The existing literature on women in American legislatures is opaque, with some scholars suggesting women are less effective than their male colleagues and others arguing they are just as effective. Utilizing data from the 103rd-105th Congresses—specifically, data on bill and amendment sponsorship and Stein and Bickers’ data on the distribution of federal domestic spending—we argue women House members are not demonstrably less effective than their male counterparts. Legislative effectiveness is the product of seniority, preferences, and membership in important House institutions.