Publication Date
Fall 8-2007
Abstract
Women’s political participation and representation vary dramatically within and between countries. We selectively review the literature on gender in politics, focusing on women’s formal political participation.
We discuss both traditional explanations for women’s political participation and representation, such as the supply of women and the demand for women, and newer explanations such as the role of international actors and gender quotas. We also ask whether women are distinctive—does having more women in office make a difference to public policy? Throughout the review we demonstrate that a full understanding of women’s political representation requires both deep knowledge of individual cases such as the United States and broad knowledge comparing women’s participation across countries. We end with four recommended directions for future research: (a) globalizing theory and research, (b) expanding data collection, (c) remembering alternative forms of women’s agency, and (d ) addressing intersectionality.
Document Type
Article
Keywords
women, political participation, representation, gender in politics, gender inequality, descriptive representation, women in politics, electoral system, political parties
Disciplines
American Politics | Comparative Politics | Gender and Sexuality | Inequality and Stratification | Political Science | Political Theory | Politics and Social Change | Social Psychology and Interaction | Sociology of Culture | Theory, Knowledge and Science
Part of
Paxton P, Kunovich S, Hughes MM. 2007. Gender in politics. Annual Review of Sociology. 33:263-84.
Format
DOI
10.1146/annurev.soc.33.040406.131651
Rights
Copyright 2007 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Source
The Annual Review of Sociology
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Kunovich, Sheri L.; Paxton, Pamela; and Hughes, Melanie M., "Gender in Politics" (2007). Sociology Research. 3.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_sociology_research/3
Included in
American Politics Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Political Theory Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Theory, Knowledge and Science Commons
Notes
The Annual Review of Sociology is online at http://soc.annualreviews.org
This article’s doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.33.040406.131651