Closing the gender gap - A record number of female candidates are on the ballot this Tuesday

There’s been an enormous amount of attention put on the 2018 midterm elections. As a divided America competes for control of both Congress and the Senate – this election has seen a solid roster of candidates looking to represent both sides of the aisle in Washington.

Another positive trend that has emerged has been the number of female candidates coming forward for election.

In a piece written for Vox, by University of Mary Washington’s Rosalyn Cooperman – some impressive numbers were shown, however the disparity of female candidates between the two parties can not be ignored.

"While women comprise 43 percent of Democratic candidates in 2018 congressional general elections, they make up only 22 percent of Republican Senate candidates and only 13 percent of Republican House candidates. While Democratic women won House primaries at rates 20 percentage points higher than Democratic men, Republican women and men won House primaries at similar rates. Currently, 73 percent of the women serving in Congress are Democrats.

While 2018 may be a record-breaking year for women candidates in many ways, the midterm elections are unlikely to significantly alter the longstanding party gap among women officeholders."

• So, what can be done to close the gender gap among Republicans? 
• Is it time parties considered parity or focused more on recruiting viable female candidates? 
• Are women discouraged from running, and if so why?

There are many questions to be answered here and that’s where our experts can help.

Rosalyn Cooperman, associate professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington and member of Gender Watch 2018, is an expert on women in politics. Rosalyn is available to speak with media regarding this topic – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.