Engendering Democracy

by Anne Phillips

Despite the seemingly gender-neutral categories of individual or citizen, democratic theory and practice continue to be largely male privileges. This book addresses democratic issues from a feminist perspective, exploring the under-relationship of women in politics, the relationship between the private and the public spheres, the lessons to be drawn from the experience of the recent women's movement attempts to make its views heard in democracies.

Genres: Feminism, Womens, Nonfiction, Political Science, Research

190 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1991

About the author

Anne Phillips is a professor in the department of government at London School of Economics and Political Science. Her areas of research include gender, democracy, culture, and economics.

Reviews

[Denise DeRocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be a part of ANY AND ALL US History classes - we're not there yet!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phillips illuminates the historical context of democracy's birth, highlighting the extent to which women were excluded from citizenship and defined as property, as well as how this history affects the inequities of democracy's present. Of particular interest to me was her examination of the potential pros and cons involved with a more participatory model of democracy. Phillips relies heavily on the theories of Carole Pateman. Lots to think about.

[Umut Erdoğan (Kareler ve Sayfalar) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demokratik eşitliği artırmak için yapılan girişimleri, bilinç yükseltmeden kadın toplantılarına, siyasi partiler içinde kadınların yer almalarına, toplumsal hayatın (kamusal ve özel ayrımına özellikle dikkat çekerek, bu soruna ısrarla değinerek) yeniden düzenlenmesi gereken hususlarına dek Anne Phillips, demokrasinin cinsiyetini göstererek, düşünmeye davet ediyor. Yazının tamamını blog'umda bulabilirsiniz.

[Ceci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite of being more than 25 years old, the main topic of this book remains highly relevant: the under-representation of women in politics. Phillips provides powerful arguments for an enhanced representation of women in politics and carries out a critique of the democratic tradition -particularly liberal democracy, in gender terms. Phillips also tries to clarify what the representation of women is actually about: do women representative represent women *because* they are women? Do women representatives represent "women's interests"? What are "women's interest" anyway? A must-read for anyone interested in women in politics!