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Although Lawless and Fox’s research describes the fundamental reasons that fewer women run for and serve in political offices, it does not describe why states like North Carolina have seen a decline in women candidates and elected officials.
Today’s political climate of hyper-partisanship is identified by Baer and Hartmann’s (2014) research report for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research for Political Parity as a major factor as to why fewer women are interested in running for office.
They also suggest that the issue of women’s representation in political offices is less prominent in media stories and public discussions than a generation ago.