Women and Politics Worldwide

This important book – the first to analyse the complexities of women’s participation on a cross-national scale and from a feminist perspective – surveys 43 countries, chosen to represent a variety of political systems, levels of economic development, and regions.  The research definitively demonstrates that in no country do women have political status, access or influence equal to that enjoyed by men.  The book begins with an expanded definition of political engagement, an elaboration of the patterns that emerge from the study; and a description of the methodology and the data collection.  The chapters that follow focus on individual countries.  In each, the authors describe the political history of, and institutions in, the country, summarize the organization of women’s movements there, and analyse how groups of women articulate political demands and the response they receive from their government or community.  While the context of activism varies widely, the authors find that the issues that engaged women politically are often similar across the globe; these include resistance to militarism, the desire to become equal partners in new democracies, and frustration about their lack of representation in economic development programmes.  According to Carole Pateman, President, International Political Science Association, ‘Nelson and Chowdhury have produced an important and exciting book, a rich and wide-ranging study that will be an invaluable resource for years to come.’