Amicus Curiae Lecture Series on Constitutional Democracy in Honor of Women’s Equality Day

Progress is Not Inevitable: Gender Dynamics in Today’s Politics

The past decade in U.S. politics can be characterized both by gender progress and a backlash to it. Women achieved notable milestones as vice president of the United States and major-party nominees for president, as well as running for and winning elective office in record numbers. Beyond political representation, the country reckoned with deeply rooted sexism across institutions and grappled with the evolution of gender identity and expression. This disruption of male and masculine dominance has motivated backlash evident in public opinion, political strategy, and public policy.

In this lecture, Dr. Kelly Dittmar will assess gender disparities and dynamics in U.S. politics in the past decade. What has contributed to advancements in gender equality? And what has stood in the way of progress and/or sought to reverse it? Finally, what factors will matter most in shaping the balance of gender power in U.S. politics in the next decade? And what will that mean for the prospects of women shattering the highest, hardest glass ceiling of the U.S. presidency?

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Kelly Dittmar, Ph.D., is the Director of Research and Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. She is also an Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University–Camden. Dr. Dittmar is co-author of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Representation Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018) (with Kira Sanbonmatsu and Susan J. Carroll) and author of Navigating Gendered Terrain: Stereotypes and Strategy in Political Campaigns (Temple University Press, 2015).  She has served as an expert source and commentator for media outlets including NPR, PBS, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Dr. Dittmar earned her B.A. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and her Ph.D. from Rutgers University-New Brunswick.