“Given Rhode Island’s political culture, there’s a tendency to conclude that the male-dominated government is a result of gender discrimination on the part of voters, donors and even the media,” said Jennifer Lawless, a UVA professor of political science. “The good news is, none of that’s true. Sure, there are sexist voters, sexist donors and sexist reporters. But systematically, when women run for office, they raise just as much money and garner just as many votes as men.”