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In the past decade, a substantial amount of scholarly work has examined the effect of the degree of diversity within an organization upon the experience of women working in that organization. Using as a case the "Industrial Supply Corporation," an anonymous corporation, Rosabeth Kanter (1977) argued that token women within an organization (that is, women who make up less than about 15% of an organization's membership) are subject to performance pressures, boundary heightening, and role entrapment. Token women in the Industrial Supply Corporation reported that they were more visible than men; they were "always viewed by an audience" (1977, 973). Moreover, co-workers and superiors viewed these women on the basis of gender stereotypes and evaluated their actions as evidence not only of their worth as sales personnel but also of their worth as women. Token women in the corporation were evaluated in part on the basis of their physical appearance, and they had to work harder to have their achievements noticed. Gender differences were consistently highlighted and exaggerated; furthermore, the acts of women tended to have consequences for how other women were viewed and treated. Tokens were also aware of a need to avoid placing members of the dominant group (that is, men) in a negative light. The most common response of women to their status was to minimize gender differences, keep a low profile, and let others assume leadership positions or take credit for the token's accomplishments. In general, in response to their status as token members of a group, Kanter argued, women may downplay group differences, trying to "blend unnoticeably into the predominant male culture" (1977, 973). In more equitable contexts, on the other hand, women may become less isolated and may affect group processes and the organization's culture.
Political scientists have applied Kanter's work to the political setting, examining the behavior, treatment, and success of female state legislators (e.g., Saint-Germain 1989; Thomas 1991, 1994). These scholars generally argue that gender differences in legislative agenda setting will be less pronounced in overwhelmingly male-dominated legislatures, and that women will be most successful in relatively balanced contexts. In this article, I examine distinctive agenda-setting behavior by women; I also examine gender differences in legislative success in terms of bill passage and appointment to leadership positions....