Politics, Feminism and the Reformation of Gender

While it is acknowledged that there is a universal pattern of gender imbalance in the recruitment of women to political elites, there has been little work on why this should be the case. This book considers the participation and representation of women in politics using empirical data based on 300 in-depth interviews. Research carried out in Scotland is used as a basis for comparison with the more extensive research available in American literature. The experience of women in the Soviet Union and in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Germany is also analysed. Jennifer Chapman combines empirical and theoretical work to argue that the distinct attributes of women do not constitute advantages in terms of recruitment in a male-dominated political world. She explores the extent to which the orientation of women to politics differs from that of men and she discusses the effects of feminism and of recent changes in women’s social conditions on the resources, motivations and prospects of young women now entering politics.