Whether working towards equal pay, anti-domestic violence laws, or the creation of refuges and childcare centres, women engage with, and work within, state structures. This text examines this interaction, and compares feminist involvement with political institutions in Australia and Canada.

As a field of scholarship, gender and politics has exploded over the last fifty years and is now global, institutionalized, and ever expanding. The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Politics brings to political science an accessible and comprehensive overview of the key contributions of gender scholars to the study of politics and shows how these contributions produce a richer understanding of polities and societies. Like the field it represents, the handbook has a broad understanding of what counts as political and is based on a notion of gender that highlights masculinities as well as femininities, thereby moving feminist debates in politics beyond the focus on women. It engages with some of the key aspects of political science as well as important themes in gender and feminist research (such as sexuality and body politics), thereby forging a dialogue between gender studies in politics and mainstream political science. The handbook is organized in sections that look at sexuality and body politics; political economy; civil society; participation, representation and policymaking; institutions, states and governance as well as nation, citizenship and identity. The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Politics contains and reflects the best scholarship in its field.

What are the cultural and structural mechanisms that exclude women from politics in general and from local politics in particular? What meaning is ascribed to women's political activity? Gendering Politics explores the place of women in democratic politics by means of a detailed study of women in Israeli politics who were elected to municipal councils from 1950 to 1989. Drawing from a variety of sources, including questionnaires, interviews, newspaper coverage, and existing statistical data, as well as examinations of studies of the role of women in politics in other democracies, Herzog analyzes the extent of success and failure of women in Israeli elections. She then explores reasons why female participation in Israeli politics has been relatively slight, despite historical precedents and social circumstances that would indicate otherwise. The author examines the gendered bias of the power structure as it is shaped by basic cultural organizing principles. She exposes hidden assumptions--and notes the overt assumptions--which by definition exclude women from politics. The author also looks at the structure of opportunities within the prevailing political system, uncovering the relevant blocking and facilitating elements. Gendering Politics will be of interest to students and scholars of women's studies, Israeli studies, political sociology, and political science. Hanna Herzog is Associate Professor of Sociology, Tel Aviv University.

In this book, leading gender scholars survey the contribution of feminist scholarship to new norms and knowledge in diverse areas of political science and related political practice. They provide new evidence of the breadth of this contribution and its policy impact. Rather than offering another account of the problem of gender inequality in the discipline, the book focuses on the positive contribution of gender innovation. It highlights in a systematic and in-depth way how gender innovation has contributed to sharpening the conceptual tools available in different subfields, including international relations and public policy. At the same time, the authors show the limits of impact in core areas of an increasingly pluralised discipline. This volume will appeal to scholars and students of political science and international relations.

Opening the door to women for leadership positions in government and public institutions is critical in achieving fair and balanced policies. Yet only ten of the world's nations are led by democratically elected women. The United States ranks a shocking 100th in terms of women's representation in legislatures or parliaments. The viewpoints in this valuable resource examine the state of gender diversity in governments around the world, what factors are impeding a greater balance in diversity, the negative effects of this imbalance, and how more women can become involved in representation.

Top feminist theorists and scholars examine the latest developments in gender politics and policy around the world Gendering Politics and Policy: Recent Developments in Europe, Latin America, and the United States discusses in depth how women and women’s perspectives are changing politics and policy in both the United States and around the world. This compelling resource surveys a range of issues and methodologies to bring the most recent gender issues, politics, and policies into clear focus. Top feminist scholars and theorists from several disciplines explore the latest in gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, citizenship, social capital, and the gender gap in various cultures and countries. Gendering Politics and Policy provides case studies of different policy areas, techniques, and political practice as it highlights issues important for women and women’s issues around the world. The book’s three main sections include detailed looks at politics and gender issues in the United States, policies of concern for women in Latin America and Europe, and women’s agendas in the United Nations. This book is extremely useful as a teaching tool for students by surveying a wide range of vital issues and methodologies of gender development, women and politics, women and public policy, and women in international politics. The text is extensively referenced and includes several tables and figures to clearly present data and ideas. Gendering Politics and Policy discusses: the need for women’s citizenshipa new form of gendered citizenship more inclusive of women’s issues that strengthens democratic governability gender politics in presidential electionsincluding the impact the attention to women’s votes has had on public policies of administrations between elections the relationships between women’s status and social capital attack campaigning of male candidates against women candidates the gender implications of economic policy in the United Kingdom the discretionary nature of funding for support of domestic violence laws in Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean region women’s increased leadership roles in German government the need for gender mainstreaming in the German economy child care as an international human right the involvement of women’s nongovernmental organizations at UN conferences Gendering Politics and Policy is illuminating reading for educators, advanced undergraduate and graduate students in women’s studies, political science, and public policy, as well as policy researchers and women leaders around the world.

This book, one of the first to focus exclusively on the experiences of Republican congresswomen, uncovers some of the gendered implications of congressional polarization. Looking beyond legislative behavior, Gendering the GOP: Intraparty Politics and Republican Women's Representation in Congress reveals changes over time in the way Republican congresswomen (1) claim to represent women and (2) work together to advance their own interests within the party. Through extensive interviews with women members of Congress and in-depth analyses of House floor speeches, the book details how women have both navigated and shaped existing gender dynamics within the House GOP conference. It demonstrates that Republican women in Congress are not merely gender-blind partisans. Rather, it complicates traditional understandings of the relationship between descriptive and substantive representation, showing how polarization and party competition have incentivized Republican women to organize around their partisan-gender identity--distinguishing themselves from both Democratic women and Republican men. Doing so has increased their visibility as party messengers, while simultaneously limiting their legislative power in the institution. This book shines light on the ongoing challenges Republican women face, the intricate gender dynamics they must learn to navigate in their party, and potential opportunities for change. -- Provided by publisher.