Women’s participation in the United States is shaped by the changing landscape of the country’s cultural history. Through an exploration of the political socialization of women, the authors give students a powerful way to understand the gender gap in political attitudes, patterns of women’s political participation, and women as members of the political elite.

For this new second edition the authors have updated every chapter with new content and data. Greater coverage of the interaction of gender, race, class, ethnicity, and age is integrated throughout and alongside additional material on feminism, Title IX, origins of the gender gap, and more on agents of socialization.