THE YEAR-OF-THE-WOMAN IN CONTEXT - A TEST OF 6 EXPLANATIONS

The 1992 election saw a virtual doubling of the number of women in the U.S. House of Representatives. Although much of this may be attribute d to record turnover rates, I focus in this article on whether previou s explanations for the underrepresentation of women in the House still held in 1992. I find that although turnover is important, the increas ed probability that open-seat candidates (especially Democrats) are wo men is at least as important. The achievement of funding parity by wom en candidates and the fact that Democratic women are running for more winnable seats (i.e., those in more Democratic districts) also is impo rtant. However, an examination of the 1994 election shows some retrenc hment in the percentage of open-seat candidates who are women. I concl ude that 1992 is part bend and part anomaly.