Run Up to the 2016 Election blog: Why should we elect more women in the U.S.?

During the 2016 election, the buzz about sexism, gender stereotyping, discrimination and sexual assault has been electric. Can a woman win the U.S. presidency, the last remaining vestige of male-only American national politics, despite these obstacles? Perhaps this question is only half of what we as the American public should be asking, however. Also of import is understanding the importance of electing women to office in general. Does it make a difference whether women are elected to, or excluded from, American political office?

Tracy Osborn, Director of the Politics and Policy Research Program at the UI Public Policy Center and associate professor of political science, discusses this and upcoming lecture by Jay Newton-Small, "The Effect of Women in Politics: Do They Make a Difference?" on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Read more here.