Instituting Gender:

Abstract

This study compares the experiences of women state legislators in six U.S. states and the six states and two territories in Australia. We are interested in how women's experiences of acceptance and assimilation differ between the two systems. We also examine whether or not women's experiences differ depending upon their proportion within the state legislature. Relying on in-depth their proportion within the state legislature. Relying on in-depth interviews and survey data from both Australia and the United States, we find that women's exclusion and their problems in identity formation are greater in Australian state parliaments than in U.S. state legislatures, although they exist in both countries. We conclude that there can be greater numbers of women in parliaments and legislatures without an alteration in the prevailing culture of the legislature.