Women in Congress outperform men on some measures, Harris School study finds

January , 2011

By Sarah Galer

news.uchicago.edu

 Congresswomen consistently outperform their male counterparts on several measures of job performance, according to a recent study by University of Chicago scholar Christopher Berry.

The research comes as the 112th Congress is sworn in this month with 89 women, the first decline in female representation since 1978. The study authors argue that because women face difficult odds in reaching Congress – women account for fewer than one in six representatives – the ones who succeed are more capable on average than their male colleagues.

Women in Congress deliver more federal projects to their home districts than men do, even when controlling for such factors as party affiliation and ideology, according to the research by Berry, Assistant Professor in the Harris School of Public Policy Studies, and his former student Sarah Anzia, MPP ’07, now a doctoral student at Stanford University. Congresswomen also sponsor and co–sponsor more legislation than their male counterparts, the authors found. The study has recently been accepted for publication at the American Journal of Political Science.

The authors interpret their findings as a by–product of voter discrimination against female candidates. When women confront such bias, only the most talented, politically ambitious females will attempt to run for office, and voters will tend to elect the most highly capable women. Because of one or both of these factors, the women elected will on average be higher performing than their male colleagues.

 

“Women run for and are elected to public office at lower rates than men. This might be because women perceive themselves as less qualified to run than they actually are, or it might be because bias against women in the electorate produces a barrier to entry for them,” Berry said. “In either case, the central implication of sex–based political selection is that the women we observe in office will, on average, outperform the men.”

 

Since there is no direct way to measure legislator capability, the researchers measured performance in two ways. First, using Federal Assistance Award Data, a comprehensive compilation of federal domestic spending programs, the authors examined data from 1984 to 2004 showing the amount of federal program dollars that members of Congress brought to their home districts. The analysis encompassed discretionary spending, including most earmarks, but not entitlement programs or defense spending and other procurement programs.

 

Berry and Anzia found that congresswomen on average obtain 9 percent more in federal discretionary programs for their home districts—about $49 million per year—than congressmen, even when taking into account variables such as party affiliation, majority party status, seniority, electoral vulnerability, ideology, committee assignments, and district traits.

 

The authors also compared changes over time in spending within districts, to gauge how much a given district received when represented by a woman rather than a man. This method ensured that the estimated advantage for females was not simply a result of the types of districts they represent.

 

Second, the researchers examined the policymaking activities of women and men in Congress. They found that women sponsor and co–sponsor significantly more bills than men, and that bills sponsored by women get more co–sponsorship support from their colleagues. More generally, congresswomen score higher on various statistical measures of “network centrality,” meaning that they have stronger networks of collaboration than their male counterparts.

 

“Two fundamental jobs of congressional representatives are constituency service, which includes bringing home federal projects as well as other direct work with constituents, and legislating, which means writing bills and shepherding them through the lawmaking process,” said Berry. “The evidence shows that the women in Congress outperform the men on both levels.”

 

In what they dub “the Jackie (and Jill) Robinson Effect,” Berry and Anzia relate this “sex–based selection” to the experience of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League Baseball. It is not surprising that Robinson is widely considered to be one of the best players in the sport’s history, argue the authors, because he had to be the best in order to overcome the racial discrimination of the time.

 

Similarly, women running for Congress must be more motivated and more highly qualified than their male counterparts to win a seat. In fact, the worse the voter discrimination against women, the better women from those districts fare in Congress: the researchers found that congresswomen elected in more conservative districts, where they may face greater sex–based selection, achieve even larger advantages in spending than the average congresswomen.

 

“We emphasize that we are not arguing that women have more innate political talent than men, nor do we claim that all female candidates outperform their male counterparts,” Berry said. He pointed out that widows who enter Congress to fill their deceased husbands’ seats do not outperform congressmen, possibly because they bypassed the sex–based selection of elections.

 

“Our theory simply identifies a connection between the economics of discrimination and models of political agency: when sex discrimination is present among voters, women must be better than their male counterparts to be elected,” Berry said.

 

By Sarah Galer

 

 

 FYI

 

-          The Diversity Business Resource Center will be holding its first networking event in February.  Details will be available on our website under the Events tab in the near future.  Look for these quarterly opportunities to meet new potential clients, customers and partners.

 

Don’t forget that on the second Wednesday of every month, a representative from the Allegheny County MWDBE Department comes to the DBRC to counsel clients about the Unified Certification Program.  If you are interested in a 1/2 hour time slot between 9 am and 12 pm, please call our office at 412-322-3272.

 

If you have not heard, the Women Owned Small Business contracting program goes into effect 2/4/11, and will be implemented by the US Small Business Administration. 

Pennsylvania Women Work can help you change your life in the new year with “New Choices” 

• Downtown Orientation & First Class • Tuesday, February 1, 2011, Park Building, Third Floor • 355 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, Introduction to Computers Class • Wednesday, February 2, 2011,Park Building,Third Floor • 355 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
• Bethel Park • Wednesday, February 23, 2011, Bethel Park High School, 301 Church Road, Bethel Park, PA 15102,
• Beaver • Orientation & First Class • February 22, 2011, Community College of Beaver County, Main Campus • 1 Campus Drive, Monaca, PA 15061
• Washington • Thursday, February 24, 2011, Place to be determined

For more information about the free classes offered in the “New Choices” program, contact Lynda Broze at 412.281.9240

 

February 3 – Chatham - Faculty Lecture Series & Faculty Sherry will feature Dr. Lou Martin, assistant professor of history, presenting “The Deindustrialization of Appalachia and Poverty Knowledge in the 1960s.”  -  4:00 p.m. - Mellon Board Room – visit Chatham’s website for additional information

 

-February 4 - Planning for National Wear Red Day? -Wear RED on National Wear Red Day, to support awareness, research, education and community programs to benefit women. These funds help women by offering educational programs, advancing women’s understanding about their risk for heart disease and providing tools and motivation to help women reduce their risk to protect their health.

 

February 6 - Cheer on the Pittsburgh Steelers and benefit the

Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry! - Who doesn’t love a Super Bowl party? Especially when our Pittsburgh Steelers are playing! Your Super Bowl Party can have an even deeper meaning when you also make it a ”soup-er” day for the http://www.sqfoodpantry.org/

February 9 - Employer Workshop - Creating a Successful Internship Program 1-4pm - Keystone Simulation and Education Center - 612 Frankfort Road. Monaca, PA 15061 - Cost: $35 – contact Michael Baltzer at 412.258.2675 to register and with any questions - www.theregionalinternshipcenter.org

 

 

Brown Bag Lunch

February 9 - 12:00 – 1:00pm

 

Speaker, Scot Teachout, Peak Performance Management.

Topic: No Pressure Selling - Understand practical ways to build a successful, sustainable sales culture in your business. Know how to handle lost opportunities; slipping margins; complacency; and market share.  Know how to analyze a successful sales and prospecting strategy.  Learn the top five things you should do to propel business sales

- Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania

1650 Main Street

Pittsburgh

FREE

RSVP: 412.782.5344 or volunteersofamerica@voapa.org

February 10 – BizMix at Heinz History Center – 5:30 – 7:30 PM - Reservations are $35 for Business Times subscribers ($45 for nonsubscribers) and include hors d’oeuvres and two drinks. The event will be held in the first floor Grand Hall - Heinz History Center - This is also a great opportunity to meet and visit with Business Times editors, reporters and staff in an informal setting. Visit http://www2.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/event/34421?mp=1 to register

February 11- Pittsburgh Professional Women February Workshop: 

Should Your Business Be Certified? -1-3 PM - The Greentree Radisson - Members $29,  Non Members $39 - Register Online www.PittsburghProfessionalWomen.com

February 11 - Benefit Dinner at Eleven Contemporary Kitchen – 6:30 PM - big Burrito Group and the Food Bank invite you to a very special dining experience at Eleven Contemporary Kitchen in the Strip District! - Join Food Bank CEO Joyce Rothermel for an intimate 5-course dinner for 35 patrons in the Smallman dining room beginning - A special tasting menu with paired wines has been created by Eleven Chef Derek Stevens and big Burrito Executive Chef Bill Fuller. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to help the Food Bank while you enjoy an unforgettable culinary experience! Price: $150 per person, plus server gratuities.  big Burrito donates the food and wine, so the entire price goes to the Food Bank! Space is limited! Call 412-460-3663, ext 291 for more details

 

February 11 - Women Business Leaders Breakfast Series - Speaker: Kate Dewey, Principal, Dewey & Kaye – A McCrory & McDowell Company - Topic: “Non-Negotiable Management Practices Nonprofits Must Adopt to Thrive in 2011 and Beyond” - Time: 7:30 -9:00 am - James Laughlin Music Center, Chatham University, Shadyside Campus - Cost: $25 - Register Online: www.chatham.edu/cwe

 

February 12- NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania will host a free First Time Homebuyers Workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Beechview Carnegie Library, 1910 Broadway Ave. Classes are taught by certified instructors with presentations by respected real estate professionals such as loan officers, real estate agents, insurance representatives and others. The classes meet or exceed the minimum standards of Fannie Mae, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and the Allegheny County/City of Pittsburgh Economic Development Departments and Urban Redevelopment Authorities - To register, call (412) 281-1100, ext. 121. Lunch will be provided.

 

 

-          YMCA Small Business Startup Training Classes

 

           February 15 - 6pm -9pm - CCAC North Shore Student Service Center

        

           February 16 - 11am - 2pm - YWCA 305 Wood Street Pittsburgh

 

This 12 week - 36 hour step-by-step program is designed for women who what to start a microenterprise (small business) and don’t know where to begin. Offered in cooperation with Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), this course helps entrepreneurs hone the skills needed to create, manage, and grow a successful business. Microenterprise is defined as a business with five or fewer employees  and less than $35,000  in start-up capital. Offering day and evening classes!

 

Class Schedule:

 

Tuesday Evenings: 6pm - 9pm

February 15, 2011 - May 3, 2011

CCAC North Shore

 

Wednesday Afternoons: 11am - 2pm 

February 16, 2011 - May 4, 2011

YWCA Greater Pittsburgh

 

Cost: $199 (includes program curriculum and materials)
Payment plan available

 

Call for additional info 412. 255. 6749

 

February 16 - Business Etiquette: Enhance Your Professionalism and Advance Your Career – 4-5 PM  - Do you ever wonder what ever happened to common courtesy in the workplace?  This session will coach you on common etiquette mistakes and what to do better to advance your own career and those of your team - To register for this and other free coaching webinars, go to www.PittsburghCoaches.org.  Site updates regularly.

 

February 17 – Executive Women’s Council of Greater Pittsburgh Presents Transform your Business: Leverage the Power of Mobile Technology – 5:30 – 7:30 – Bistro to Go – 415 East Ohio Street – Preeti Gupte, VP of Global Business Development – ewcpgh@aol.com - Fees: Member: $20, Nonmember $30

 

Disability Resource Breakfast

February 17 - 8:30 – 9:30 AM

 

Speaker: Shannon Austin, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

 Topic: Disclosure of a Disability or Criminal Record:  Is there a right choice? - Disclosure of a hidden disability or criminal record can make or break success on the job.  Learn the legal requirements for disclosure and the accommodations available for those who do.  Join us to learn how to choose what’s right for you

- Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania

1650 Main Street

Pittsburgh

FREE

RSVP: 412.782.5344 or volunteersofamerica@voapa.org

 

 

-February 17-26 – Attack Theater - The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Presented by the CMU School of Drama – for more details visit http://www.newhazletttheater.org/event/?event_id=453

 

February 18 - Women’s Power Lunch - 1:30pm – 3:00pm - Hyde Park Steakhouse, North Shore, Pittsburgh - Join us for interactive networking while eating lunch at one of Pittsburgh’s finest restaurants.- Valet parking is available for $5.00 to make your day easier - Please rsvp by Wednesday, Feb. 16th to Suzanne Froehlich if you wish to

Attend - suzannef@zoominternet.net or call 724-452-5152

February 20 - Coming in Hot - A play about women in the military, horror, humor, fear, cultural clashes! with award winning  theatre/film artist Jeanmarie Simpson - 3pm - Eddy Theatre  -Chatham University - Sponsored by Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom  -412-661-7149 - Iraq Veterans Against the War , Chatham University

February 25 – Pasta by Police With Love – Benefits Nicole Cleland, whose life was changed by a tragic car accident in early December, when a drunk driver hit her vehicle, killed her 7 year old child and unborn child – Brookline Blvd – United Presbyterian Church – 1036 Brookline Blvd – 4-8 – Price $7 for adults, $5 children – 50/50 and door prizes – Call Officer Christine Luffey at 412- 488-8425 for more details

 

February 26 – Women Etcetera! – Sponsor Lifestyle Health Group – “Wise Women Learn About Care: Giving It to Those We Love, Getting the Right Care for Others” – Donaldsons Crossroads, 3909 Washington Road, McMurray – 11-2 PM - $10 Members, $15 Guests – email Suzanne@womenetcetera.com with any questions

 

March 2 - CELEBRATE  the great women of Pittsburgh and SHARE with Cribs for Kids, our charity of choice. 

Questions? Call JoAnn R. Forrester, Celebrate & Share Co-Founder, at

412-440-6969 or Bonnie DiCarlo, Celebrate & Share Co-Founder at

412-480-5247

 

Sat. March 5th   Zonta’s 8th Annual Best of Chefs at Glass Slipper Ball –Four Points Sheraton- Grazing, Sipping, Dancing to Dr. Zoot! Over 30 top chefs compete for awards while showcasing signature hors d’oeuvres and desserts plus libation sampling.  Live Auction with some fabulous trips to Paris, Capri and Africa! Proceeds to benefit education for single moms as well as Girls Hope. For more info contact www. ZontaThreeRiversNorth.com or call 724-935-6100

 

March 5 - Seventh Annual “Laughter Is The Best Medicine” Comedy Benefit for our Pediatric Brain Tumor Fund - 8 PM - Radisson Hotel in Greentree - Comic Matt Wohlfarth(aka Buzz Nutley) and our favorite emcee, PJ DiLeo - Tickets are now available, and are only $20 in advance and $25 at the door. You can also reserve a table(10 seats/tickets) in advance for $200 – Order tickets:  http://www.samuelj.org , or by mailing your payment, along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Samuel J Foundation, P.O. Box 75, Oakdale, PA  15071.  Payment for reserved tables must be received by February 26 – Call  (724)693-9901 for more information

 

March 25, Gannon University, SBDC presents  

Women In Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.)

at the Bayfront Convention Center, Erie, PA 16507

Toll-free: (877) 258-6648 for more information

 

 

FYI

 

 

- January and February is Panera Operation Dough Nation

If you are planning a business lunch or coffee/lunch with a friend at any of the 26 Panera Bread cafés, for the months of January and February when stopping by your local Panera, donate your spare change in the “Share the Bread” Operation Dough Nation containers at the registers to benefit Magee

 

- Thursdays, January 27– March 10 - 6:00pm Meal, 6:30-7:30pm class meeting

First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh invites you to join us in CLAIMING THE PROMISE, An 8 week Bible study exploring same gender love in relationship to Christian scripture. 

For people who make more than $58,000 or who are comfortable preparing their own tax return, there is Free File Fillable Forms. It also must be accessed through There is no software assistance with Free File Fillable Forms. It does basic math calculations. It does not support state income tax returns. It is perfect for the true do-it-yourself taxpayer who has preferred paper tax returns in the past. It also has free e-filing. here.

.

 

 

 

 

Save the Date!

 

Celebrate and Share, March 2, 2011,Call JoAnn R. Forrester, 412-440-6969 or Bonnie DiCarlo, 412-480-5247

**March 5, 2011,Seventh Annual “Laughter Is The Best Medicine” Comedy Benefit for our Pediatric Brain Tumor Fund, Call  (724)693-9901 for more information  

**Zonta’s 8th Annual Best of Chefs at Glass Slipper Ball - Sat. March 5th - Four Points Sheraton- . For more info contact www. ZontaThreeRiversNorth.com or call 724-935-6100

 **March 25, 2011, Gannon University SBDC Presents,  Women In Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.) Bayfront Convention Center, Erie, PA 16507Toll-free: (877) 258-6648 for more information

 

March 2- Waynesburg University and RIC Internship Fair - Email Trisha Hyatt thyatt@coropittsburgh.org for more info!

 

March 25 – 2^nd Annual Branching Out Luncheon Women’s Group of America Forest Foundation – 11:45 AM – 1:30 PM - William Penn Hotel, 530 William Penn Place – Individual Tickets $40, Table of Tickets $300 – Contact Laura Tuel at 202-459-1403 or ltuel@forestfoundation.org

 

March 27- March 28 - 3rd Annual PHAN Conference
Making Health Care Work for All Pennsylvanians - Radisson Hotel Harrisburg-Hershey - 1150 Camp Hill Bypass, Camp Hill PA 17011 - Shuttle vans will be available from Amtrak and the Airport - Conference Registration: $35 (includes reception, breakfast & lunch). Hotel rooms: $99, with free parking

May 8 - Registration Now Open For 19th Annual Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure - With the holidays behind us, it is time to focus on our Race for the Cure. This year’s Race will be held on Mother’s Day, in Schenley Park in Oakland. Register now at www.komenpittsburgh.org to take advantage of online fundraising and more.=

May 25 – 29^th Annual  “A Tribute to Women Leadership Awards Luncheon”  - 12-1:30 PM – Westin Hotel – 1000 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh – visit www.ywcapgh.org for more info – Nominations being accepted now - Deadline: 2/11  - visit website for the nomination form 

Today’s water crisis is not an issue of scarcity, but of access. More people in the world own cell phones than have access to a toilet. And as cities and slums grow at increasing rates, the situation worsens. Every day, lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills thousands, leaving others with reduced quality of life.

Glass ceilings aside, millions of women are prohibited from accomplishing little more than survival. Not because of a lack of ambition, or ability, but because of a lack of water. Millions of women and children in the developing world spend untold hours daily, collecting water from distant, often polluted sources, then return to their villages carrying their filled 40 pound jerry cans on their backs. And though women are responsible for the majority of food production in their villages, their productivity is severely limited by this constant struggle.

But the real tragedy is that the problem is so easy to solve. For just $25 www.water.org can provide clean, sustainable drinking water for one person for life, bringing opportunity, hope and possibilities to lives without them.

Women

• In just one day, more than 200 million hours of women’s time is consumed for the most basic of human needs — collecting water for domestic use.
• This lost productivity is greater than the combined number of hours worked in a week by employees at Wal*Mart, United Parcel Service, McDonald’s, IBM, Target, and Kroger, according to Gary White, co-founder of Water.org.

 

• Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting water from distant, often polluted sources.
• A study by the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) of community water and sanitation projects in 88 communities found that projects designed and run with the full participation of women are more sustainable and effective than those that do not. This supports an earlier World Bank study that found that women’s participation was strongly associated with water and sanitation project effectiveness.  

• 884 million people lack access to safe water supplies; approximately one in eight people.

 

• 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease.  
• The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.  
• Poor people living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city.  
• An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a typical person in a developing country slum uses in a whole day.

• Diarrhea remains in the second leading cause of death among children under five globally. Nearly one in five child deaths – about 1.5 million each year – is due to diarrhea. It kills more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.  
• Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.  
• Diarrhea is more prevalent in the developing world due, in large part, to the lack of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as poorer overall health and nutritional status.

 

• Children in poor environments often carry 1,000 parasitic worms in their bodies at any time.
• In the developing world, 24,000 children under the age of five die every day from preventable causes like diarrhea contracted from unclean water.  
• 1.4 million children die as a result of diarrhea each year.  

Disease

• At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.  
• The majority of the illness in the world is caused by fecal matter.
• Almost one-tenth of the global disease burden could be prevented by improving water supply, sanitation, hygiene and management of water resources. Such improvements reduce child mortality and improve health and nutritional status in a sustainable way.

 

• 88% of cases of diarrhea worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene. (9)
• 90% of all deaths caused by diarrheal diseases are children under 5 years of age, mostly in developing countries. (8)
• It is estimated that improved sanitation facilities could reduce diarrhea-related deaths in young children by more than one-third. If hygiene promotion is added, such as teaching proper hand washing, deaths could be reduced by two thirds. It would also help accelerate economic and social development in countries where sanitation is a major cause of lost work and school days because of illness. (6)

 

 

 

 

What Can You Do?

Join us as we combat the water crisis and work for the day when women are free from the all consuming search for water, making it possible for them to lead productive lives of hope and dignity in a world where everyone in the world can take a safe drink of water.

• Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter with our latest stories, projects, and ways you can help.
• Bring someone clean water for life: Donate.
• Get involved in your school, your community or go online and spread the word.
• Check out the Give Yourself section below for more ideas.

Water isn’t just a world crisis, it’s a women’s crisis. We can change the world, and we can do it one woman at a time if we have to.

Give Your Voice

We know you want to help, but we also know cash might not be that easy to come by. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do.

You’re an influential person. No really. Whether your network includes thousands of dedicated followers or just a few close friends and family members, people listen to you. And getting our message out is worth plenty. While we can’t pay you to use your sway, we can make it easy and effective. We’ve created some social networking resources – avatars, signatures and the like — for you to use wherever and whenever you want, each with it’s own assigned virtual value. Using them is almost like making a cash donation, and best of all, they’ll make a difference. So use them everywhere and often.

Put your Facebook, Twitter or blog power to work for women around the world. If enough people spread the word, we figure that’s a donation worth millions in saved advertising dollars; money we can put to work providing water.

On the other hand, if you do happen to find a little something between the couch cushions, we happily accept cash donations