Are female politicians better at dodging sex scandals? (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A New York Times article getting wide circulation asks an obvious question in light of Rep. Anthony Weiner’s sexting scandal: why aren’t female politicians getting caught in sex scandals as well? Press conferences featuring male politicians apologizing to country and family for infidelities (the remorse only comes after the embarrassing reveal, of course) have become nearly routine events, which indicates that women are either way savvier at conducting illicit sexual activity, they aren’t interested in taking the risk, or they just don’t have the time.

The time factor presents a plausible starting point. In 2010, Sen. Kirsten Gillebrand told NPR: “You’re in the middle of diapers and bottles and bills and votes and markups, how could you possibly think about doing anything else?”

Since American politics is still very much a male-dominated playing field, NYT also reports that women who win office aren’t about to gamble with the power they’ve earned. “Women have different reasons for running, are more reluctant to do so and, because there are so few of them in politics, are acutely aware of the scrutiny they draw — all of which seems to lead to differences in the way they handle their jobs once elected.” This risk argument also reminds me of the post-recession question of whether more women on Wall Street could’ve prevented the financial meltdown. Time and again, the combination of power, testosterone and competition stimulates high-risk action.

Also, remember the fallout that occurred when party photos of congressional hopeful Krystal Ball leaked online? As Sociological Images pointed out, it doesn’t even take a sex scandal to ruin a female politician’s career. While young male politicians (including Rep. Weiner back in the day) have posed provocatively in women’s magazines like Cosmo, even the slightest hint of over sexuality from a female candidate likely spells disaster.

Granted, the fact that male politicians in office easily outnumber female politicians makes the contrast even more glaring. Former Bush press secretary Dana Perino offered a simple solution to taking some pressure of the fellas and perhaps quelling the tide of political sex scandals: Elect more women.

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