About the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP)
The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about women’s political participation in the United States. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about the role of women in American politics, enhance women’s influence in public life, and expand the diversity of women in politics and government.
CAWP’s education and outreach programs translate research findings into action, addressing women’s under-representation in political leadership with effective, intersectional, and imaginative programs serving a variety of audiences. As the world has watched Americans considering female candidates for the nation’s highest offices, CAWP’s five decades of analyzing and interpreting women’s participation in American politics have provided a foundation and context for the discussion.
Facts
CAWP provides up-to-the-minute information and analysis on U.S. women’s political participation. The Center’s website and fact sheets provide current and historical information about women candidates and officeholders used by a wide variety of audiences, as well as a picture of the trends and context in which women’s political history is being made. CAWP’s Election Watch and Presidential Watch track, analyze, and illuminate gender dynamics in women candidates across the nation in every election cycle.
Education and Training
CAWP works to increase the impact of women in politics, encourage young women to get involved in politics and make women’s political leadership more effective.
NEW Leadership® (National Education for Women’s Leadership) teaches college women how to get involved in politics and why it matters. Through the NEW Leadership® National Network, CAWP trains college and university partners from across the country to host their own local NEW Leadership® programs built on the CAWP model. To date, partner institutions on 20 campuses serving 24 states have trained more than 5,000 students.
Ready to Run® has provided New Jersey women with the political skills they need to run for office for almost 20 years. Ready to Run® features Elección Latina, Run Sister Run, and Rising Stars as channels for the political empowerment of women of color. Ready to Run® is offered by partners across the country who adapt the CAWP model to their states.
Teach a Girl to Lead® (TAG) re-envisions what public leaders looks like, makes women’s political leadership visible to the next generation, and inspires girls and young women to follow in their footsteps. TAG offers a variety of resources at tag.rutgers.edu.
Research and Scholarship
CAWP’s research – focusing most often on women in public office – addresses emerging issues and questions about the status and impact of political women as well as women’s routes to elected office. CAWP’s studies have shown that women bring new issues to the public agenda and open up government to fresh ideas and different voices. CAWP monitors trends in women’s voting and analyzes the recurring gender gap in voting and public opinion.