Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective

Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective, Third Edition provides a clear, detailed introduction to women’s political participation and representation across a wide range of countries and regions. Through broad statistical overviews and detailed case-study accounts, it documents both historical trends and the contemporary state of women’s political strength. Readers see the cultural, structural, political, and international influences on women’s access to political power, and the difference women make once in political office. The text acknowledges differences among women through attention to intersectionality and women from marginalized groups.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction to Women in Politics Arguments for Women's Representation in Politics A Brief Overview of Women's Participation in Politics Orienting Theories Overview of the Book Chapter 2: Women Struggle for the Vote Social Movement Concepts Suffrage in the United States Women Gain the Vote: The Events Leading to the Passage of the 19th Amendment The International Women's Movement Women's Suffrage After 1945 Women Exercising Their Vote Chapter 3: Women Struggle for Representation First Women Members of Parliament Women Access Parliaments: Historical Patterns of Representation Women in Top Leadership Positions Women in Cabinet Positions Moving Up the Ladder: Women in Local Governance Chapter 4: Explaining the Political Representation of Women--Culture A Woman's Place in History: Women in Political Philosophy A Woman's Place Today: The Continuing Power of Culture Culture and Women's Representation in Politics Chapter 5: Explaining the Political Representation of Women--Social Structure Money Time Civic Skills and Community Participation Education Work Economic Power Informal Networks Structural Arguments: The Evidence Chapter 6: Explaining the Political Representation of Women--Politics Democracy Electoral Systems Characteristics of Political Parties From Candidate to Legislator Quotas Chapter 7: Explaining the Political Representation of Women--International Factors The International Women's Movement Does It Make a Difference? The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Chapter 8: Do Women Make a Difference? Thinking Differently: Women's Views on Women and Their Policy Priorities Acting Differently: Women's Voting Patterns and Bill Sponsorship Legislating Differently: Women's Legislative Style Do Numbers Matter? Critical Mass and Women's Impact Women's Movements and Women's Policy Machinery as Alternative Sources of Influence Winning Hearts and Minds: Symbolic Representation Chapter 9: Women from Marginalized Groups Thinking Intersectionally Double Barriers Strategic Opportunities Acknowledging Differences Chapter 10: Regions: The West and the United States The Geography of Women in Politics Western Industrialized Countries Middle of the Pack: The United States Chapter 11: Eastern Europe and Central Asia The Fall of the Soviet Union: Women Fall Too Variation in Recovery Explaining Women's Political Power Since 1990 Chapter 12: Latin America and the Caribbean Legacies of Culture in Latin America Democratization and Women's Political Empowerment Gender Quotas Chapter 13: Middle East and North Africa An Overview and Brief History of the Region Changes Come to Women of the Gulf Region Forces for Change in the Region Women and the Arab Spring Chapter 14: Asia and the Pacific Cultural Obstacles Family Ties and Clientelism Gender Quotas in Local Politics The Political Representation of Women from Marginalized Groups Women in Afghanistan Chapter 15: Sub-Saharan Africa Colonialism One-Party Rule, Democracy and Democratization Women, Ethnicity, and Nationalism Armed Conflict: Devastation Yet Hope? Continuing Challenges Chapter 16: Where Do We Go from Here? And How Do We Get There? Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going? How Do We Get There? Furthering Women's Position in the Social Structure Influencing Culture Disrupting Politics as Usual In Conclusion: What Would a 50/50 World Look Like?

About the Author :
Pamela Paxton is professor of sociology and public affairs and the Christine and Stanley E. Adams, Jr. Centennial Professor in the Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in economics and sociology and her PhD in sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has consulted for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Academies. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles on women in politics, which focus on statistical models of women’s parliamentary representation. Her research has appeared in a variety of journals, including American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Comparative Politics, International Studies Quarterly, and Legislative Studies Quarterly. She is also an author of Nonrecursive Models: Endogeneity, Reciprocal Relationships, and Feedback Loops (2011). Melanie M. Hughes is associate professor of sociology at The University of Pittsburgh. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001 with a degree in sociology and government and earned her PhD from The Ohio State University in 2008. Her affiliations include the Department of Political Science; the Ford Institute for Human Security; Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies; and Global Studies. She specializes in political representation of women from marginalized groups. Her research on women in politics has appeared in journals such as American Sociological Review, American Political Science Review, Social Forces, and Politics & Gender. Currently, she is consulting with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United Nations Development Programme to increase the availability of data on women in political leadership and public administration. She is also writing a new book on the political dominance of men from majority racial, ethnic, and religious groups worldwide.

Review :
“This edition of Women, Politics, and Power is the best book that I have seen on the subject of women and politics.  Combining theory and data in a detailed yet very readable text, the authors show the progress that women have made in politics, where they stand now, and the obstacles remaining to full political equality for women, comparatively and globally.  It definitely warrants serious consideration by anyone teaching in this area.” “Women, Politics, and Power is a well-organized and clearly written text. Its multidisciplinary approach synthesizes research on women’s political power around the world, and its case studies provide valuable context and support.”