More than 25 years after women first earned the right to vote, a woman is running for president and a record 16 percent of political offices are held by women.
Despite that, a new survey suggests men may still dominate the future political landscape. A recent Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey shows men are still more interested in entering the political arena compared to women. According to the Kaplan press release, 42 percent of 1,949 students preparing for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) claimed they would "definitely" or "probably" run for political office.
This statistic is not surprising for Penn State professor Sean Wilson who currently teaches PLSC 471 (American Constitutional Law). According to Wilson's data, obtained via e-mail, nearly 47 percent of people elected to the U.S. Congress since 1945 listed "law" as their occupation.
Not only did the survey find that law school is a popular springboard for hopeful politicians, but the results showed a significant difference between men and women interested in entering politics.
Fifty-two percent of male students surveyed said they would definitely or probably run for office, while 34 percent of female students showed the same interest.
With N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton in the middle of an intense race for the Democratic presidential nomination, many people think the gap between men and women in politics will continue to evaporate.
"Whenever you have role models from your background -- no matter what that [may] be -- that are successful, it encourages young people to pursue that," Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions Pre-Law Director Glen Stohr said.
Stohr said it was not that long ago when men outnumbered women in law school altogether. In recent years, the gender ratio has leveled out in law school, and Stohr said he believes the same trend will follow in Congress and other political offices.
Christian Kerstetter (junior-philosophy and political science), who recently took the LSAT on campus, said Clinton's candidacy will have an impact on women interested in becoming politicians.
"[Clinton's success] could be a big motivation and a big encouragement for women to get involved in politics who may have thought it was a male-exclusive activity," he said. "Just the fact that she is doing so well and especially if she wins, that will be something that will help a lot of women who feel discouraged."
The study also found that 73 percent of all participants said high potential income was either a "very important" or "important" factor in their decision to consider law school, according to the release.
Yasmine Taeb, a first-year law student at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, said money is usually an incentive in people striving for politics. She said the benefit of attending law school is not only the future salary, but also the networking and stepping stone it provides for success in the future, especially in politics.
"It all matters, and it helps you form your public service track," Taeb said. "[Law school] helps you to build your profile to potentially run for public office."
