Gender and politics

This article is about the academic discipline. For the journal, see Politics & Gender.

Gender and politics, also called gender in politics, is a field of study in political science and gender studies that aims to understand the relationship between peoples' genders and phenomena in politics. Researchers of gender and politics study how peoples' political participation and experiences interact with their gender identity, and how ideas of gender shape political institutions and decision-making. Women's political participation in the context of patriarchal political systems is a particular focus of study. Gender and politics is an interdisciplinary field, drawing not just from political science and gender studies but also related fields such as feminist political thought, and peoples' gendered treatment is commonly seen as intersectionally linked to their entire social identity.

Scope and context

Overview

The study of gender and politics is concerned with how peoples' gender structures their participation in and experience of political events, and how political institutions are encoded with gendered ideas.[1] This study exists in the context that, historically and across countries, gender has been a core determinant of how resources are distributed, how policies are set, and who participates in political decision-making.[1] Because of the breadth covered by the subfield, it spans numerous areas of study in politics such as international relations, comparative politics, political philosophy, and public policy, and it draws from and builds on ideas in feminist political theory like intersectionality and modern conceptions of gender.[2] The study of gender and politics overlaps with the study of how other components of peoples' social identities interact with their political participation and experiences, with researchers particularly emphasizing that the interaction of gender and politics is intersectional and dependent on factors like peoples' race, class, and gender expression.[1]

The study of gender and politics may also be referred to as "gender in politics",[3] and is closely related to the study of "women and politics" or "women in politics", which may also be used synecdochically to refer to the connection between gender and politics.[4]

In a study conducted by Amy Friesenhahn called At the Intersection of Gender and Party: Legislative Freedom, we see how intricate the study of gender and politics is. The study delves into the intricate dynamics of gender and politics, particularly focusing on the behavior of politicians in relation to women-friendly districts. The findings shed light on how district characteristics influence legislative freedom and party defections on women's issue roll-call votes among both Democratic and Republican members of Congress. The study reveals that Democratic women MCs representing moderately women-friendly districts are more likely to defect from party on women’s issue roll-call votes than their partisan counterparts who are men. On the other hand, there are no apparent gender differences in party defection among Republican MCs on women’s issue roll-call votes. However, the Republican women-friendly district effect increases the likelihood of Republicans defecting from party on women’s issues. The research also highlights the importance of district-level demographic characteristics as a conditional explanatory factor for Republican MCs exercising legislative freedom on women’s issues. It suggests that as districts become more women-friendly, Republican MCs, even men, will likely serve as substantive representatives for women’s interests. Moreover, the study acknowledges certain limitations, such as the inability of existing measures to capture the likely success of women candidates of color. Future research is encouraged to delve deeper into intersectionality and the effects of descriptive representation in terms of race and gender, combined with district characteristics, on women’s issue roll-call voting behavior. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on gender and politics, providing insights into how district characteristics intersect with gender to influence political behavior. It underscores the nuanced nature of political representation and the need to further explore intersectional dynamics within political contexts.[5]

Women and politics

Countries by share of women in parliament

A central concern in the study of gender and politics is the patriarchal exclusion of women from politics, which is a common but not universal theme historically and across cultures.[1] As the involvement of women in public affairs increased across many societies during the 20th and 21st centuries, academic attention was also increasingly focused on the changing role of women in politics. For example, a common topic in the study of gender and politics is the participation of women as politicians, voters, and activists in a particular country.[6][7] Since that participation exists in some political context, many scholars of gender and politics also study the political mechanisms that either enable or suppress women's participation in politics; women's social participation may increase or decrease as a result of political institutions, government policies, or social events.[8][9] Another common topic of study is the impact on women of particular social policies, such as debates over women's rights,[10] reproductive rights,[11] women in government quotas,[12] and policies on violence against women.[13]

Gender and politics researchers have also analyzed the position of women in the discipline of political science, which has mirrored the broader societal trend of increasing inclusion and participation of women beginning in the second half of the 20th century.[1][14]

Works and institutions

Gender and politics is the focus of the journals Politics & Gender[15] and the European Journal of Politics and Gender. Gender and politics is also the title of a book series, Gender and Politics, which launched in 2012 and published dozens of volumes over the next several years.[2]

There are a number of institutes and centers devoted to the study of gender and politics. The Center for American Women and Politics in the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University is dedicated to the study of women's political participation in the United States.[16] Other examples include the Women & Politics Institute at American University, which seeks "to close the gender gap in political leadership" by providing relevant academic training to young women,[17] and the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston which has a similar mandate.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Karen Celis; Johanna Kantola; Georgina Waylen; S. Laurel Weldon (March 2013). "Introduction: Gender and Politics: A Gendered World, a Gendered Discipline". In Karen Celis; Johanna Kantola; Georgina Waylen; S. Laurel Weldon (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Politics. Oxford University Press.
  2. ^ a b "Gender and Politics". Palgrave Macmillan. 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  3. ^ Pamela Paxton; Sheri Kunovich; Melanie M. Hughes (August 11, 2007). "Gender in Politics". Annual Review of Sociology. 33: 263–264. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.33.040406.131651. S2CID 9483072.
  4. ^ Sarah Childs; Mona Lena Krook, eds. (March 18, 2010). Women, Gender, and Politics: A Reader. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195368819.
  5. ^ Friesenhahn, Amy. XXXX. “At the Intersection of Gender and Party: Legislative Freedom.” Political Research Quarterly XX (X): 1-17.
  6. ^ Julie Dolan; Melissa M. Deckman; Michele L. Swers (2016). Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1442254756.
  7. ^ Menon, Nivedita (1999). Gender and Politics in India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195658930.
  8. ^ Naples, Nancy A. (April 26, 2017). "Introduction to the special issue: Women, gender and politics: An international overview". Social Sciences. 5 (2): 1.
  9. ^ Mala Htun; S. Laurel Weldon (March 2010). "When Do Governments Promote Women's Rights? A Framework for the Comparative Analysis of Sex Equality Policy". Perspectives on Politics. 8 (1): 207–216. doi:10.1017/S1537592709992787. S2CID 153945965.
  10. ^ Wolbrecht, Christina (July 16, 2000). The Politics of Women's Rights: Parties, Positions, and Change. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691048576.
  11. ^ Mottier, Véronique (March 2013). "Introduction: Gender and Politics: A Gendered World, a Gendered Discipline". In Karen Celis; Johanna Kantola; Georgina Waylen; S. Laurel Weldon (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Politics. Oxford University Press.
  12. ^ Piscopo, Jennifer M. (July 2016). "When Informality Advantages Women: Quota Networks, Electoral Rules and Candidate Selection in Mexico". Government and Opposition. 51 (3): 487–512. doi:10.1017/gov.2016.11.
  13. ^ Amoakohene, Margaret Ivy (December 2004). "Violence against women in Ghana: a look at women's perceptions and review of policy and social responses". Social Science & Medicine. 59 (1): 2373–2385. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.04.001. PMID 15450710.
  14. ^ Meredith Reid Sarkees; Nancy E. McGlen (March 1999). "Misdirected Backlash: The Evolving Nature of Academia and the Status of Women in Political Science". PS: Political Science & Politics. 32 (1): 100–108. doi:10.2307/420757. JSTOR 420757. S2CID 113403434.
  15. ^ "Politics & Gender". Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  16. ^ "About CAWP: Mission". Center for American Women and Politics. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Mission & Purpose". Women & Politics Institute at American University. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy". Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Retrieved 23 November 2020.