Why women make more effective politicians

Here's why women turn out to be more effective lawmakers in the land.

New York: A new study explains why women turn out to be more effective lawmakers in the land.

The study found that between 1984 and 2004, women won their home districts an average of USD49 million more per year than their male counterparts and not just across ‘women’s issues’ but also for other projects, reports Newsweek. Women also sponsored more bills, and attracted a greater number of cosponsors than men. These new laws driven by women were not only enacted—they were popular. The researchers also discovered that those sponsored by women survived deeper into the legislative process, garnered more press attention, and were more likely to be deemed "important" overall. However, women aren’t naturally better at politics. Policy Professor Christopher Berry and his student Sarah Anzia said that female politicians still hold less than a fifth of all national seats, and do only slightly better at the state level. Although the finding seems contradicting, Berry explained it’s not. "If it’s harder for women to succeed in politics then those that do succeed are likely to be the most talented and hard working," he said. But this trend won’t last forever, he added. As fewer people buy into the notion that women can’t lead, it will become easier for less-than-superhuman women to win office. "I would expect that 50 years from now, these results wouldn’t hold. At least one hopes." The study appears in the American Journal of Political Science. ANI