How Women Legislate. By Sue Thomas. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. 205 p. $35.00 ©, $14.95 (p).

Sue Thomas' recent book on women and legislative behavior in state legislatures is the latest and most complete study of the impact of the growing number of women state representatives on the procedures and policies of state governments. After an excellent discussion of gender and nature and a thorough review of the literature, Thomas develops a Typology of Expectations. Expectations about women legislators are organized along two dimensions. The first focuses on "whether women adapt to existing political practices or reform them" (p.10). The second dimension draws attention to whether women legislators accept existing policy priorities or work for change in agendas or outcomes. The theoretical framework, which builds especially on the earlier work of Barbara Sinclair (Transformation of the U.S. Senate, 1989) and her own collaboration with Susan Welsh (Susan Welsh and Sue Thomas, "Do Women in Public Office Make a Difference?" in Gender and Policy Making: Studies of Women in Office, edited by Debra L. Dobson, 1991) helps make sense of previous, and often partial explanations of the impact of women on legislative behavior. Thomas bases her findings on a survey of legislators in lower chambers of twelve state assemblies. The research design is carefully crafted and methodologically sound. She supplements the statistical evidence with short quotes from interviews with women state legislators or their aides.

Thomas concludes that as the proportion of women state legislators increases, approaching a majority, changes in products (policy priorities and outcomes) and legislative procedures will occur. Unfortunately, at the present time, there are no legislatures reflecting these ratios. Still, she concludes, visibility is important. In those states where women representatives constitute a significant minority, and/ or where women's legislative caucuses are well organized and active, legislation dealing with women, children and families is passed most often (p.100). Her findings also extend into areas of procedural reform and the broader context of institutional change.

This book makes an important contribution to the study of legislative behavior. The chapters, "Expectations and Nature" (Chapter 1) and "The Nature of Support" (Chapter 4) are especially relevant for those interested in the impact of women legislators on policy priorities. How Women Legislate is not always easy to follow. This is unavoidable in a work combining so many bodies of literature and theories of legislative behavior, as well as original evidence. Still, it is a book many scholars have been waiting for. Both the methodological approach and the findings are important contributions to the study of legislative behavior.

Sara J. Weir
Western Washington University