| CHICAGO, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. congresswomen consistently outperform their male counterparts on several measures of job performance, a study says. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS Researchers at the University of Chicago argue that because women face greater odds in reaching Congress -- women account for fewer than one in six representatives -- those who succeed are more capable, on average, than their male colleagues, a university release said Tuesday. Women in Congress deliver more federal projects to their home districts than men do, even when controlling for such factors as party affiliation and ideology, Christopher Berry, a professor in the Harris School of Public Policy Studies, says. Congresswomen also sponsor and co-sponsor more legislation than congressmen, the study found. The study suggests the finding is a byproduct of voter discrimination against female candidates. When women confront such bias, only the most talented, politically ambitious females will attempt to run for office, and voters will tend to elect the most highly capable women, the researchers say. "Women run for, and are elected to, public office at lower rates than men. This might be because women perceive themselves as less qualified to run than they actually are, or it might be because bias against women in the electorate produces a barrier to entry for them", Berry said. "In either case, the central implication of sex-based political selection is that the women we observe in office will, on average, outperform the men", he said. "We emphasize that we are not arguing that women have more innate political talent than men, nor do we claim that all female candidates outperform their male counterparts. "Our theory simply identifies a connection between the economics of discrimination and models of political agency: When sex discrimination is present among voters, women must be better than their male counterparts to be elected." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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