Looking Forward

In the upcoming years, scholars should pay attention to how recent gains in women’s political representation have on policy outcomes and efficacy. In particular, they should keep in mind the possibility that descriptive and substantive representation are not causally connected, and that symbolic representation may play a big role in women’s effectiveness in addressing policy reforms.

Furthermore, the rise in women's descriptive representation should be looked at as it relates to party gatekeepers recruitment strategies. Analyzing the political authority of current primaries and the conditions that shaped/shape their electoral success will be important in answering the question: Is the 117^th U.S. congress evidence that the U.S. is moving towards gender parity?