Book
Mahoney, Anna Mitchell. 2018. Women Take Their Place in State Legislatures: The Creation of Women’s Caucuses. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
How do women strategically make their mark on state legislatures? Anna Mitchell Mahoney’s book traces the development of women’s state legislative caucuses and the influence both gender and party have on women’s ability to organize collectively. She provides a comprehensive analysis of how and why women organize around their gender identity in state legislatures—or why they do not.
Women Take Their Place in State Legislatures includes a quantitative analysis of institutional-level variables and caucus existence in all 50 states. Case studies of caucus attempts in New Jersey, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Iowa between 2006 and 2010 examine attempts at creating women’s caucuses that succeeded or failed, and why. Mahoney’s interviews with 180 state legislators and their staff explore the motivations of caucus creators and participants. Ultimately, she finds that women’s organizing is contextual; it demonstrates the dynamic nature of gender.
Mahoney also provides insights into broad questions regarding gendered institutions, collective action, and political party governance. Women Take Their Place in State Legislatures fills a lacuna in the evaluation of women in government.
Peer Reviewed Articles
Strawbridge, Michael G., Christopher J. Clark, Anna Mitchell Mahoney, and Nadia E. Brown. “Rhetorical Promises: Gender Diversity Among Congressional Black Caucus Members’ Representation on Twitter.” Political Communication (2025): 1-18.
Daniel, Clare, Anna Mahoney, and Grace Riley. 2024. “The Politics of Problem Definition: Abortion Policy in Republican-Controlled Louisiana.” Social Sciences. 13(8). https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/8/387
Brown, Nadia E., Christopher J. Clark, Anna M. Mahoney, Orly Siow, and Michael G. Strawbridge. “Intersectional Identity and Representative Politics.” Politics & Gender (2024): 1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X24000199
Smith, Aidan, Ryan McBride, Anna Mahoney, and Agnieszka Nance. “Cultivating a Civic Identity using a Feminist Cohort Model: An Analysis of Tulane’s Newcomb Scholars Program.” Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 29, no. 2 (2023). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mjcsl.5134
Brown, Nadia E., Christopher J. Clark, Anna Mitchell Mahoney, and Michael Strawbridge. “Sister Space: Collective Descriptive Representation and Black Women in Legislative Caucuses.” Politics & Gender (2023): 1-5. doi: 10.1017/S1743923X22000599
Holman, Mirya and Anna Mahoney. “Take (her) to the Limit: What Term Limits Can Tell Us about Women’s Successes in Political Office.” Legislative Studies Quarterly. Preprints. http://doi.org/10.1111/lsq.12406
Evans, Melissa Goldin, Maeve Wallace, Katherine P. Theall, Anna Mitchell Mahoney, Lisa Richardson, and Clare M. Daniel. 2022. “State-Level Recommendations to Reduce Inequities in Sexually Transmitted Infections.” Women’s Health Issues 32(5): 427-430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2022.07.002
Mahoney, Anna. “Community Engagement and State Legislative Research.” PS: Political Science & Politics, 55(3), 568 – 571. doi:10.1017/S1049096522000087
Brown, Nadia, Christopher J. Clark, and Anna Mahoney. 2022. Editors. “Special Issue: Women of Color Political Elites in the U.S.” Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy. 43(1)(3).
Holman, M. R., Mahoney A. and E. Hurler. 2021. “Let’s Work Together: Bill Success via Women’s Cosponsorship in U.S. State Legislatures.” Political Research Quarterly. DOI:10.1177/10659129211020123
Holman, M. R. and Mahoney, A. 2019. “The Choice Is Yours: Caucus Typologies and Collaboration in U.S. State Legislatures.” Representation. 55(1): 47-63. DOI:10.1080/00344893.2019.1581079
Mahoney, Anna Mitchell and Christopher J. Clark. 2018. “When and Where Do Women’s Legislative Caucuses Emerge?” Politics and Gender. 15(4): 671-694. DOI:10.1017/S1743923X18000806
Holman, M. R. and Mahoney, A. 2018. “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen: Women’s Collaboration in US State Legislatures.” Legislative Studies Quarterly. 43(2): 179-206. DOI:10.1111/lsq.12199
Special Issues
Brown, Nadia, Christopher J. Clark, Anna Mahoney, Orly Siow, and Michael G. Strawbridge. “Intersectional Identity and Representative Politics.” Politics & Gender, First View , pp. 1 – 7. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X24000199
Representation scholarship has drawn from intersectionality theory 0to examine how systemic structures of oppression and privilege have created social groups with distinct political needs. Derived from Black feminist theory that recognizes that identities are mutually constitutive and interconnected, intersectionality research is rooted in the lived experiences of marginalized groups who call attention to social (in)justice. Empirical scholarship building on the insights of Black feminist theorists such as Collins and Bilge (2016), Hill Collins (1990), Crenshaw (1989; 1991), and King (1988) has constituted nothing less than a paradigm shift in the study of gender and politics. Nevertheless, there remain an array of opportunities to expand upon the potential for intersectional frameworks and methods, as well as pressing new questions concerning the operationalization of intersectionality itself. This Critical Perspectives section offers a moment to take stock of these developments and debates, as well as to highlight new pathways for scholarship committed to centering the margins and considering the nexus of multiple power structures that frame our political lives.
Brown, Nadia, Christopher J. Clark, and Anna Mahoney. 2022. Editors. “Special Issue: Women of Color Political Elites in the U.S.“ Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy. 43(1)(3).
More women of color were sworn in to the 117th U.S. Congress than ever before. For instance, Cori Bush became the first Black woman elected from the state of Missouri, accomplishing this feat by taking down William Clay, whose family served in that seat for decades. Cori Bush’s victory, along with those of other women of color, is simultaneously something to celebrate and investigate. How can it be that in 2021, women of color elected officials are still achieving firsts? How have scholars assessed, theorized, and studied these women who are novel players in American government? Political Science, as a discipline, is merely decades out from viewing women of color via a single-axis lens of either race or gender. Thusly, scholars are still grappling with how to examine women of color by their own merits. This special issue seeks to do just that. The essays in this volume are chiefly concerned with studying the multiplicity of women of color political elites as distinct actors in American democracy. As guest co-editors of two issues on the subject, we wanted to curate a set of essays from both established and burgeoning thought leaders and empiricists on the complexities of seeking elected office and governing as women of color.
Brown, Nadia, Christopher J. Clark, and Anna Mahoney. 2022. Eds. “Special Issue: Women of Color Political Elites in the U.S.” Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy. 43(1).
Brown, Nadia E., Christopher J. Clark, and Anna Mahoney. 2022. “The lack Women of the US Congress: Learning from Descriptive Data.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy (2022): 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554477X.2022.2074757
Black women have been historically excluded from Congress and the policymaking power available in the institution. This essay shares details about the 52 Black women who have navigated this raced and gendered institution (Hawkesworth 2003) since 1969. We discuss data on these Black congresswomen, including, but not limited to, their educational attainment, occupations prior to serving in Congress, and ties to Black Greek Letter organizations. We argue that this descriptive data will prompt new questions for legislative scholars and open conversations about disciplinary norms and assumptions which may need revision in light of Congress’ increasing diversification.
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