Feminists in Politics: A Panel Analysis of the First National Women''s Conference provides a systematic study of the impact of the National Women''s Conference held in Houston, Texas, in November 1977, on the participants. It traces the past political activities of the conference participants; what they actually did during the conference; the impact of the conference on their commitment to political action in the future; and their aspirations for holding elected office in American politics or in organizations associated with the feminist movement. The volume begins by placing the IWY Commission and the study of the conference in the context of feminist history—both the long-term history that reaches back to Seneca Falls in 1848 and the short-term history of more recent post-1965 political developments. Subsequent chapters deal with design, variable measurement, and response pattern analysis; political organization and group formation; the differences between Pro-Plan and Anti-Plan activists at the conference; and the past political development of the delegates and their political aspirations. This impact analysis will be of interest to political scientists and sociologists, as well as to political activists concerned with the efficacy of alternative action strategies.
