It's hard out here for a woman

Yesterday's Washington Post carried news of a recent study that claims women have little to no chance of winning election in almost one-third of congressional districts nationwide.

Are you surprised to know that many of the most challenging districts for female politicians are located in the South?

"There are over 150 districts in this country right now that are never going to elect a woman," said Barbara Palmer, a political scientist at American University who joined Dennis Simon of Southern Methodist University in studying the challenges faced by female congressional candidates.

Districts that are the toughest for women tend to be conservative, socially traditional and geographically larger, with a lot of rural area, said Simon. "A lot of those districts cut right through the Bible Belt," he said.

For the last seven years, Simon and Palmer have examined House elections, including their competitive nature, demographics and the gender of candidates. Their five toughest districts for women are Alabama's 4th (around Gadsden); Kentucky's 1st (around Paducah); North Carolina's 11th (around Asheville); Oklahoma's 4th (around Norman); and Arkansas' 3rd (around Fayetteville).