THE EFFECTS OF GENDER ON CONGRESSIONAL BEHAVIOR AND THE SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN

This paper examines how gender affects legislative behavior and what s ignificance these effects have for the substantive representation of w omen. Having examined voting behavior from 1981 to 1992, we confirm th at female legislators have voting patterns that are more liberal, yet not significantly different, from those of their male counterparts. Wh en regression is applied, gender remains insignificant in explaining V oting behavior until 1991 and 1992, where it demonstrates a significan t negative effect. Bill introduction data for the same period reveals that congressional women are introducing women-related legislation pro portionate to their number. Finally, examining the cohesion of voting patterns reveals that congressional women are as cohesive as or more c ohesive than two ethnic congressional groups but less cohesive than so uthern Democrats or their male partisan counterparts. In combination, the findings suggest that congressional women display distinctive legi slative behavior that portends a greater representation of women and w omen's issues.