Women In Contemporary Politics

by Stokes, Wendy

• ISBN13: 9780745624983
• ISBN10: 0745624987
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-05-06
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

This innovative textbook provides students with a lively and wide-ranging introduction to the roles and achievements of women in contemporary politics. Accessibly written for an undergraduate readership, the book addresses both theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding women's participation in politics as candidates, party members, elected representatives, cabinet ministers and leaders. It focuses on the presence of women in formal political institutions across a broad range of countries, including the UK, France, Norway, Germany, Russia, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India, to demonstrate that women are, at last, beginning to exert pressure on political affairs by behaving differently from men. The book is divided into sections, each of which focuses on a different area of political activity - for example, the development of women's political activism and feminist engagement with political theory; voting and elections; political parties and the specifics of women's partisanship; parliaments; local and international government. Each chapter contains a concise introduction outlining the core issues for discussion, a concluding summary of key points and an annotated guide to further reading. Women in Contemporary Politics will be an invaluable resource for all students of politics and international relations. It is the only book of its kind to offer such a comprehensive and up-to-date exploration of the theory and practice of politics from the female perspective.

Author Biography

Wendy Stokes is Associate Professor of Politics at Richmond, The American International University in London.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	p. xii
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Some Definitions	p. 4
Outline	p. 5
Feminist Political Theory	p. 11
Feminist Theory and Women's Political Activism	p. 13
Introduction	p. 13
Women, Feminism and Political Theory	p. 14
Gender and Democracy	p. 15
Gender and Representation	p. 18
The Meaning of Presence	p. 21
Critical Mass	p. 23
Conclusion	p. 24
Further Reading	p. 25
Applying the Theory	p. 26
Introduction	p. 26
Initial Problems of Analysis	p. 26
Do Women in Politics Make Different Choices from Men?	p. 27
Do Women in Politics Act on Behalf of Women?	p. 28
Do Women in Politics Possess a Different Style?	p. 32
Critical Mass	p. 33
Case Studies: Northern Ireland and Wales	p. 35
Conclusion	p. 36
Further Reading	p. 36
Voting and Elections	p. 37
Voting and Elections: Background Information	p. 39
Introduction	p. 39
Voting	p. 39
Global Extension of the Franchise to Women	p. 40
Women Getting Elected	p. 41
Electoral Systems	p. 42
Conclusion	p. 44
Further Reading	p. 44
Getting and Using the Vote	p. 45
Introduction	p. 45
Achieving the Franchise	p. 45
Enfranchisement	p. 46
Research into Women's Political Participation	p. 51
Gender Gap	p. 55
Political Parties and Women's Votes	p. 58
Conclusion	p. 59
Further Reading	p. 59
Women and Elections	p. 60
Introduction	p. 60
Research into Voting for Women	p. 60
Barriers to Women's Election	p. 62
Case Studies	p. 65
Solutions	p. 72
Conclusion	p. 75
Further Reading	p. 75
Quotas for Women in Parties and Parliaments	p. 77
Introduction	p. 77
The Arguments For and Against Quotas	p. 78
Case Studies	p. 80
Conclusion	p. 91
Further Reading	p. 92
Women and Political Parties	p. 93
Political Parties: Background Information	p. 95
Introduction	p. 95
Membership of Political Parties	p. 95
Activism in Political Parties	p. 96
Party and Electoral Systems	p. 97
Women and Political Parties	p. 98
Conclusion	p. 98
Further Reading	p. 99
Women in Political Parties in the United Kingdom	p. 100
Introduction	p. 100
National Party Organization in the United Kingdom	p. 100
Parties in Regional Assemblies in the United Kingdom	p. 107
Conclusion	p. 111
Further Reading	p. 111
Political Parties outside the United Kingdom	p. 113
Introduction	p. 113
The Republic of Ireland	p. 113
The Nordic Countries	p. 115
France	p. 117
Germany	p. 118
Russia	p. 120
The United States of America	p. 121
Canada	p. 122
Australia	p. 123
New Zealand	p. 126
Conclusion	p. 127
Further Reading	p. 127
Women's Parties	p. 129
Introduction	p. 129
Women's Parties Defined	p. 129
Northern Ireland Women's Coalition	p. 130
Icelandic Women's Alliance	p. 131
Women of Russia and Women's Parties in the Former Soviet Republics	p. 132
Other Women's Parties	p. 136
Conclusion	p. 137
Further Reading	p. 138
Parliaments and Governments	p. 139
Members and Ministers	p. 141
Introduction	p. 141
Women in Parliaments	p. 141
Women in Governments	p. 142
Conclusion	p. 144
Further Reading	p. 145
Women in Elected Assemblies in the United Kingdom	p. 146
Introduction	p. 146
The Conservative Party in Parliament	p. 147
The Labour Party in Parliament	p. 148
Scotland	p. 150
Wales	p. 152
Northern Ireland	p. 153
Conclusion	p. 155
Further Reading	p. 155
Women in Elected Assemblies outside the United Kingdom	p. 157
Introduction	p. 157
The Republic of Ireland	p. 157
The Nordic Countries	p. 158
France	p. 159
Germany	p. 161
Russia	p. 161
The Curious Case of the USA	p. 163
Canada	p. 164
Australia	p. 166
New Zealand	p. 166
Japan	p. 167
India	p. 168
Some Other Countries	p. 169
Conclusion	p. 171
Further Reading	p. 172
Women in Sub-National Government	p. 173
Women in State and Local Government	p. 175
Introduction	p. 175
International Co-ordination and Data	p. 176
Conclusion	p. 178
Further Reading	p. 178
Women in Local Government in the United Kingdom	p. 179
Introduction	p. 179
Women's Early Entry into Local Government	p. 179
The System of Local Government in the United Kingdom	p. 180
Local Government Elections	p. 181
Local Councillors	p. 183
Women's Committees	p. 187
Conclusion	p. 191
Further Reading	p. 191
Women in Sub-National Government outside the United Kingdom	p. 193
Introduction	p. 193
The Republic of Ireland	p. 193
The Nordic Countries	p. 194
Belgium	p. 196
Russia and Central-Eastern Europe	p. 197
The United States of America	p. 198
Canada	p. 199
Australia and New Zealand	p. 200
India and its Neighbours	p. 201
Some Other Countries	p. 203
Conclusion	p. 204
Further Reading	p. 205
Women in International Governmental Organizations	p. 207
Women and the European Union	p. 209
Introduction	p. 209
Structure of the European Union	p. 209
Equality and the European Union	p. 212
The Role of the European Parliament	p. 212
Women Members of the European Parliament	p. 213
Sex Equality Bodies	p. 217
Sex Equality Legislation and Directives	p. 218
Action Programmes	p. 220
Mainstreaming	p. 221
Conclusion	p. 221
Further Reading	p. 221
Women and the United Nations	p. 223
Introduction	p. 223
The Structure of the UN	p. 223
Sex Equality and the UN	p. 224
Women in the General Assembly	p. 225
Sex Equality Institutions within the UN	p. 226
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)	p. 228
International Conferences	p. 229
Women as Employees of the UN	p. 230
Conclusion	p. 231
Further Reading	p. 231
Conclusion	p. 232
Notes	p. 234
References	p. 238
Index	p. 258
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