Holly Holland
Pronouns: She/Her
Research Mentor(s): Sara Morell
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Political Science / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 3 – 1:40pm – 2:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors:
Presenter: 102
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to see what role, if any, women’s candidate training programs (WCTP) have in potential women candidate’s decision to run for office as opposed to candidate training programs (CTP) for any gender. This project aims to understand the barriers faced by women and people from historically excluded backgrounds, including people of color and those in the LGBTQ community, when running for political office. Interviews were conducted with heads of CTPs, both partisan and non-partisan, which were transcribed and then coded with respect to relevant themes to the research question. We expect to find that WCTPs play a role in a woman candidate’s decision to run, by providing program attendees with additional support, mentorship,and access to elites. Further, the degree to which CTPs recognize and attempt to address barriers faced by women candidates or candidates of a historically excluded background, or give resources or advice to candidates, may also influence a candidate’s decision. This project is seeking to expand the existing knowledge of the impact of CTPs, while looking specifically through the lens of gender as well as racial, ethnic, and sexual diversity. Additionally, this project would also allow candidates to see how they can address and overcome potential barriers in a campaign for political office.
Interdisciplinary, Social Sciences
