The discriminating power of ecological variables in the recruitment of men and women rural politicians

The growth of political activism by women has been studied mostly in the urban environment. The rural environment and those factors which predict the recruitment of women in that environment were the focus in this study. A survey of 192 women and 113 men elicited the effect of sex on the political recruitment process in the rural parts of Oregon. The sample is composed of politicians at the local level as well as the lower house of the state legislature. The findings indicate that the traditional variables from the literature of political recruitment tend to be more supportive of men rather than women. Further, that the ecological setting is important in determining the recruitment pattern of men and women politicians.