She was one of the first researchers to use public opinion data to systematically study why the number of women elected to the United States Congress remained small through the beginning of the 21st century, and to examine the experiences of women who ran for public office in the United States.
[4] Burrell then became a professor in the Department of Political Science at Northern Illinois University, where she remained until her retirement.
[7] In the decades after its publication, A woman's place is in the House has been described as a classic work in the study of women running for Congress.
[10] Using survey data, Burrell presents evidence that Hillary Clinton was an electoral asset to her husband, with Clinton's support featuring significant racial and gender gaps among both Democrats and Republicans; Burrell concluded that it is possible for a First Lady to adopt a policy agenda, but that in order to maintain public support she must also perform the traditional parts of the job, such as being a hostess at the White House, and that to involve herself in a policy agenda has attendant risks.
[8] Burrell argued in Gender in Campaigns for the US House of Representatives that her conclusions from decades earlier held up, and the conventional wisdom substantially underestimated how successful women candidates for Congress were.