Rita Mae Kelly

Female Public Officials: A Different Voice?

In this article we examine the extent to which women in public office exhibit a different voice from that of male officeholders. We explore rationales that justify a different voice as well as how this difference manifests itself in politics. Then we present a model of the different types of voices female public officials have exercised. The research indicates that as the number of women in public office grows, increasing differences will be seen not so much between women and men officeholders as among women officeholders themselves. Finally, we expect to see women in public office advocating a wider variety of policy goals, and as women in public office increase in number, we expect to see a redefinition emerge of the political.

Gender and success-related attributions: Beyond individualistic conceptions of achievement

Two hundred male and 42 female senior public administrators responded to a questionnaire that explored gender differences in self- and social attributions for career success. Attributions to professional, personal, and political contacts were examined in addition to ability, hard work, and luck. Ability and hard work were found to constitute a central factor, labeled the “Alger factor,” in attributions for oneself as well as for colleagues of both sexes. Professional contacts were seen as more important than nonprofessional contacts or luck by both sexes; women, however, perceived the Alger factor as more important to their own success than to that of male colleagues, and viewed professional contacts as more important to male colleagues than even the Alger factor. There were gender differences in the relationship of luck to the Alger factor: self-attributions to luck and to the Alger factor were positively correlated for women but negatively correlated for men, perhaps because of a differential sense of entitlement for the sexes. While affirming the centrality of the Alger factor in causal attributions, this research underscores the need to reconceptualize current research paradigms based on individualistic conceptions of achievement.

Political Ideology and Subjective Culture: Conceptualization and Empirical Assessment

Ideology and subjective culture are examined as two systems of behavioral organization well known for their hidden but frequently powerful influences on political choices and behavior. After a brief sketch of a representational theory of behavioral organization, a research strategy based on inferences drawn from the distribution of thousands of free word associations is described and illustrated with results from several international studies. Findings on Slovenian images and frame of reference demonstrate the effects of Marxist doctrines. Korean and American data illustrate differences that are predominantly psychocultural. The analytic method outlined suggests new capabilities for studying ideology and its influence on peoples perceptions, their system of representation of the world, and their organization of behavior. It may be used to assess predispositions to adopt democratic principles and procedures. It might also be used to assess the influence of ideological doctrines and their degree of integration with the cultural views andframe of reference. The most natural use will probably be in research in the field of international understanding and communication. In this paper we present a perceptual-representational theory of behavior and a methodology for studying ideology and culture as two main designs of behavioral organization. We also outline an assessment strategy, present findings that provide support for the theory, and suggest a systematic way to explain ideology and culture and their interrelationship.

The Associative Group Analysis Method and Evaluation Research

This article presents an overview, description, and assessment of the Associative Group Analysis method for studying conceptual development and changes in belief systems. Three specific applications to evaluation research tasks are used to illustrate its potential. AGA is found to be particularly useful when cross-cultural issues, beliefs, integration, and adaptation are at issue. Evaluators are encouraged to explore AGAs utility.

Comparable worth, pay equity, and public policy

Introduction Theoretical Overview Wage Inequities in Sex-Segregated Occupations Political Factors Influencing Pay Inequity in State and Local Governments Comparable Worth and Job Evaluation Implementing Comparable Worth: Some Case Studies Conclusion Bibliography Index

Sex and becoming eminent as a political/organizational leader

Using 317 randomly selected eminent personalities, this study seeks to determine if female political and/or organizational eminents differ systematically from other female eminents, to ascertain how similar the socialization data and patterns are for eminent political males and females, and to determine how these patterns compare with those of male and female eminents in other areas of endeavor. The data indicate that to have the possibility of becoming a political/organizational leader, females seem to need to become more similar to males psychosocially. However, the socialization structures and agents needed to promote such comparable psychosocial developments are different from what have existed in the past. The female political/organizational eminents studied did come from a different type of family structure and background. In this sense, they differ in their socialization from what we know about the “average woman,” the other eminent females, and the male eminents. But the psychosocial product of such socialization is more like the male political/organizational eminent in terms of career and public role expectations. One implication of these findings is that the United States is likely to see more politically and organizationally eminent women in the future. The trend toward two-career households (because of economic conditions, as well as the womens movement) is likely to socialize more girls toward such positions.