Abstract
Women’s underrepresentation in leadership is well-documented. Despite making gains in some leadership areas, underrepresentation persists in executive elected positions. Using a life course research framework that examines the life journey, along with leadership theory and literature explaining underrepresentation, this study goes beyond the numbers to explore the experiences of women who have run for executive elected office. Specifically, it includes the perspectives of 10 women who ran for governor during the 2022 U.S. midterm election. The participants demonstrate leadership approaches consistent with servant and authentic leadership and consider characteristics associated with those styles to be the ideal approaches for political leaders to display. The study’s findings also reveal that participants use coping strategies to adapt to and integrate their personal and professional lives, identifying shared common experiences across age, motherhood status, and party affiliation. Overall, the study aligns with existing literature establishing that female candidates continue to have different experiences when running for office compared to male candidates.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Women—Political activity—United States; Governors—United States—Selection and appointment; Political leadership—United States; Women political candidates—United States
Date of Award
2025
School Affiliation
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Department/Program
Education
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate
Faculty Advisor
Margaret Weber
Recommended Citation
Fentiman, Angela M., "A phenomenological study of the experiences and leadership perspectives of women who have been candidates for elected political office" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 1653.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1653