Has Democracy Failed Women?

by Drude Dahlerup

Why are women still under-represented in politics? Can we speak of democracy when women are not fully included in political decision-making? Some argue that we are on the right track to full gender equality in politics, while others talk about women hitting the glass ceiling or being included in institutions with shrinking power, not least as a result of neo-liberalism.

In this powerful essay, internationally renowned scholar of gender and politics Drude Dahlerup explains how democracy has failed women and what can be done to tackle it. Political institutions, including political parties, she argues, are the real gatekeepers to elected positions all over the world, but they need to be much more inclusive. By reforming these institutions and carefully implementing gender quotas we can move towards improved gender equality and greater democratization.

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2017

Reviews

[Monika Kmeťová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skôr odborná práca, ktorá popisuje vývoj ženskej participácie v politike. Nie je to beletria, čomu je prispôsobený aj odborný jazyk. Publikácia však ide veľmi po povrchu aj keď otvára niektoré zaujímavé problematiky, čo je škoda.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to grit my teeth to get through this. You’d need a strong knowledge base on worldwide government systems to get value out of it. 90% went over my head and it’s very much an extended research essay rather than any of kind of interesting commentary