The study focuses on women elected to public office at the local and state level. A twelve page questionnaire was returned by 294 of the 592 women holding these offices. This first data analysis indicates that: (1) many of the women had parents or relatives who held public office; (2) more women over age 50 held office than those under 50; (3) the women identify more with their mothers than with their fathers; (4) education alone does not loom as important a factor as might be expected; and (5) younger women in office have less college education than older women. It is concluded that, when considering women in public life, certain established relationships between variables may not hold true. (TL)