남성 정치엘리트와 여성 정치엘리트의 여성 정책지지도 차이에 관한 실증적 연구 - 미국하와이주 교육위원회 위원을 중심으로 -

Policy Differences Between Male and Female Elites - Emphasizing on the School Board in the State of Hawaii -

This study analyzes differences in issue preference between male and female school board members in the State of Hawaii. During the 1970s, the proportion of local and state political offices held by women increased sharply. While the much publicized "gender gap" has recently intensified interest in possible political differences between men and women, research has focused on this topic for more than a decade. This work has been aimed at identifying and explaining the "conditions that make 'women' analytically distinct and significant in virtually every political system, now and in the past." Initial work showed clear, consistent differences in social backgrounds, career patterns, aspirations and ambition, concepts of politics and role concepts between men and women in political elites. There is increasing evidence that these gender differences in background are lessening so that men and women in elite positions are increasingly similar in education, occupation, age, role, concept, and so on. Whether men and women elites have similar or different issue preference is less clear. There is in the literature evidence both that men and women elites agree on most policy questions and that they disagree on a few or on many kinds of policy questions. Given these different findings, we once again address the question of issue differences between men and women holding governmental office. In Winter, 1988, a mail questionnaire was sent to 349 persons serving(or served) on school boards in the State of Hawaii. We have here some indication of gender differences in issue preferences. We might argue that as women become increasinly politicized they will see their political common ground, and political cleavages around gender will increase. With this in mind, more women's participation in the policy making process is needed which able to eradicate the barriers which prevent Korean women from participating fully and meaningful in life. Although our political structure-and processes are quite different from the U.S., the Hawaii experiences can be lessons which benefit women in Korea. However, it is difficult to analyze the political elites crossculturally. This present work can be seen as a pilot study building toward the cross-cultural comparisons.