Representing Women in Parliament: A Comparative Study

Written by a major international team of authors, this is the first book-length treatment of the political representation of women in countries sharing a Westminster-based political regime. Featuring twelve chapters on new and established parliaments in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, this new book tests the latest and most broad-based theories about women's numerical and substantive political representation within the context of the commonalities and variations that have evolved from the Westminster legacy. The book is organized into three sections: Firstly, the book examines the extent to which the descriptive representation of women in the "old" Westminster parliaments has progressed in recent years, and the factors which have enhanced or impeded this progress. Secondly, the book explores the relationship between the numbers of women elected and the substantive representation of women - that is, the extent that women "act for" women. Lastly, the volume reviews the recentexperiences of four "new" Westminster parliaments (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Nunavut) and evaluates the political opportunities for women provided by the creation of new institutions. This comparative study will be of interest to students and researchers of legislative studies and gender politics / studies.