In the midst of a highly anticipated presidential election, a Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions Survey of students preparing to take the Law School Admission Test concluded that 42 percent of LSAT takers will "definitely" or "probably" run for political office after graduating from law school.
Glen Stohr, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions Pre-Law assistant director, said 1,949 students responded to the survey nationwide. The survey was released in December and focused on motivational factors which drive students to attend law school.
"According to the numbers, 42 percent of respondents said they would be interested in pursuing a political career," Stohr said. "Among those students a breakdown by gender showed a noticeable gap - 52 percent of male students versus a drop to 34 percent among female students."
He said this percentage of women represents a historic high of female involvement in politics.
"Out of this survey more than one-third of women in law school are doing so in pursuit of a political career," Stohr said. "They are actually saying, 'I intend in the future to run for office myself.'
"This is not surprising when you see female role models in the political world."
Currently 16 percent of the members of Congress are female, he said. This figure is double what it was 20 years ago.
"There is a historic high in the number of female governors and a historic high in the number of females in Congress," Stohr said. "I certainly think that promotes a growth in interest."
He said this survey seems timely because of the high interest in politics in the air. This is an election in which young people are very interested.
It will be interesting to see once this election is over, if this is a generation that will be interested in politics, Stohr said.
"In [Barack] Obama, [Hillary] Clinton, all the candidates you have the perfect combination of people to make young men, young women and young people in general interested in politics at a greater level then we've seen in years," he said.
Another important statistic derived from the survey is 73 percent of LSAT takers said high income potential was a "very important" or "important" factor in their decision to attend law school, Stohr said. There was no gender split within this group.
"We saw the same proportion of men and women that high income potential was important," he said.
Stohr said he found this statistic interesting because becoming a politician is not necessarily a profitable profession compared to the kind of money available to a successful investment banker or a corporate attorney.
"Forty-two percent of respondents expressed interest in a political career and 73 percent find high income potential important," he said. "There has to be some overlap.
"This shows there is more than one thing on the minds of students interested in attending law school."
Marianne Green, assistant director of Career Services, stated in an e-mail message that the gap between male and female interest in politics may exist because females may not be as willing or able to make the sacrifices necessary to pursue a career in politics today.
Green said women as well as men are encouraged by Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-N.Y.) presidential pursuit.
"I think many women and men will be inspired by her candidacy, but many others may think that the things she has to go through as a candidate are not worth it, and therefore, may decide against politics as a political career," she said.
Regarding the statistic that 73 percent of LSAT takers said high income potential was important, Green said politics is not a field that pays particularly well, but it can be a springboard to lucrative careers as lobbyists, consultants, fund-raisers, lecturers, authors and other vocations.
"Politicians have power, visibility and clout," she said. "Politics is about public services, but there is also power to be had and money to be made."
Junior Jenna Kring, vice president of Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity, said she notices more men interested in politics than women within the fraternity.
An important thing to keep in mind is there is still a difference between the number of men and women that go to law school, she said.
"I think historically there is a higher prevalence of men in politics than women," Kring said. "I think maybe especially with this election it will inspire girls, but I think there is still that gender bias almost."
Phi Alpha Delta has 50 active members and presents an opportunity for students who are interested in going to law school or think they might be interested to meet other students who feel the same way, she said. The fraternity hosts Kaplan events, informs students of the free LSAT and organizes an event called "So you Want to be a Lawyer?" in which a panel of lawyers discuss their experiences.
Kring said she believes many people who attend law school have the interest to become a lawyer and outside of that there is an interest to be involved in politics.
"I want to be a district attorney, which involves politics," she said. "You have to be elected into that position.
"There are two distinct groups - those who run for political office and those who get into politics through being a lawyer."
Kring said Clinton's candidacy will play a crucial role in influencing women to become involved in politics.
"I think her prevalence in the election will make people, especially girls, more open to going into politics and more comfortable with the idea," she said.
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