Gender and the American Presidency

Nine Presidential Women and the Barriers They Faced

By (author) Theodore F. Sheckels, Nichola D. Gutgold, Diana B. Carlin

Publication date:

09 March 2012

Length of book:

210 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739166796

In Gender and the American Presidency: Nine Presidential Women and the Barriers They Faced, Theodore F. Sheckels, Nichola D. Gutgold, and Diana Bartelli Carlin invite the audience to consider women qualified enough to be president and explores reasons why they have been dismissed as presidential contenders. This analysis profiles key presidential contenders including Barbara Mikulski, Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Kassebaum, Kathleen Sebelius, Christine Gregoire, Linda Lingle, Elizabeth Dole, Dianne Feinstein, and Olympia Snowe. Gender barriers, media coverage, communication style, geography, and other factors are examined to determine why these seemingly qualified, powerful politicos failed to win the White House.

Preface
Chapter 1. Gender and the American Presidency: Nine Presidential Women and the Barriers they Faced: An Introduction
Chapter 2. Nancy Landon Kassebaum: The Junior Senator from Kansas with a Mind of Her Own
Chapter 3. Dianne Feinstein: The Loneliness of a Moderate Voice
Chapter 4. Barbara Mikulski: Wrong Style, Wrong Appearance
Chapter 5. Elizabeth Hanford Dole: A Star Surrogate
Chapter 6. Nancy D'Alessandro Pelosi: Tangled-Up in Stereotypes
Chapter 7. Olympia Snowe: Seeking a Sensible Center
Chapter 8. Christine Gregoire: A Competent Communicator
Chapter 9. Kathleen Gilligan Sebelius: Realizing America's Promise
Chapter 10. Linda Lingle: Forgotten Politico in Paradise
Chapter 11. Conclusion: What Must a Presidential Woman Be

Gender and the American Presidency is an interesting and unique approach to studying the role of gender in presidential politics. In looking at the reasons why these nine successful female politicians have been deemed "unpresidential," the authors highlight the many challenges still faced by women in politics, especially when it comes to campaigning on the national level.