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This edited volume, including contributions from some of the leading scholars in the field, addresses the challenges, obstacles and opportunities for increased women's political representation in Thailand. Will Thai politics be different with an increase in the number of women politicians? What are the possibilities for Thai women to take proactive initiatives that aim to transform Thai politics into being more gender aware and equal? In seeking to address these and related issues, the analysis brings together a complex interplay of factors, such as traditional Thai views of gender and politics; the national and local political context of the new Thai constitution of 1997; and recent experiences of selected women politicians in the legislative and executive branches of Thai government. ... Read more

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Based on extensive primary source material and oral history interviews, this book is the first comprehensive study of women´s political involvement in post-World War II Hungary. It addresses the impact of the spread of communism and describes how some key organizations, such as the Feminist Association, various Jewish women´s societies, and the women´s section of the Social Democratic and Smallholders´ Party gradually ceased to exist and were replaced by a single communist-dominated women´s organization. The book includes a case study of women who entered the police force, a profession previously closed to them. A chapter is devoted to the life stories of communist women activists appointed to key positions after 1945. ... Read more

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Out of the Shadows demonstrates the importance of the role of women in the French Revolution. It traces the growth of female political awareness and depicts the determination of women of the working class to participate in the life of the new nation despite their government's obstinate denial of the rights of citizenship. The author examines in detail the grassroots involvement of women in the affairs of the country right up until the avalanche of repressive legislation passed in the spring of 1795. ... Read more

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Sexual Politics in the Enlightenment constitutes thefirst book-length feminist study of Rousseau's sexual politics and thereception of his works by women readers. By today's standards,Rousseau's sexual politics appear reactionary, paternalistic, evenblatantly misogynist; yet, among his female contemporaries, his worksoften met with enthusiastic approval and had tremendous impact ontheir values and behavior. To probe Rousseau's paradoxical appeal toeighteenth-century readers, Mary Trouille examines how seven womenauthors responded to his writings and sexual politics and traces hisinfluence on their lives and works. The writers include sixFrenchwomen (Roland, d'Epinay, Stael, Genlis, Gouges, and an anonymouswoman correspondent who called herself Henriette) and the Englishfeminist Mary Wollstonecraft. ... Read more

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Why has the integration of women into Congress been so slow? Is there a "political glass ceiling" for women? Although women use the same strategic calculations as men to decide when to run, the decision regarding where to run is something else. While redistricting has increasingly protected incumbents, it also has the unintended consequence of shaping the opportunities for female candidates. The political geography and socio-economic profile of districts that elect women differ substantially from districts that elect men. With data on over 10,000 elections and 30,000 candidates from 1916 to the present, Palmer and Simon explore how strategy and the power of incumbency affect women’s decisions to run for office.

Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling is the most comprehensive analysis of women in congressional elections available. The Second Edition is fully updated to reflect the pivotal 2006 mid-term elections, including Nancy Pelosi’s rise to Speaker of the House, Hillary Clinton’s bid for the presidency, and a record number of women serving as committee chairs. Additionally, the authors have created a website, found at politicsandwomen.com, to highlight key features of the book and provide updates throughout the election cycle.

Customer Reviews (3)

Page Turner
Dr. Palmer was a professor of mine at American University and her book captivated my attention and opened my eyes to the many hurdles women in politics face. The many stories that her and Simon captured ever since women had been running for office were hilarious, heart-breaking, and inspiring. Their presentation of the data on advantages incumbents have demystifies why only 16% of the seats in the US House as well as the US Senate are held by women.

This book should be read by everyone, but especially by those who wish to see a more equal representation in Washington!

A must read!
This extraordinary book is the most important book on women and congressional elections ever published. No other scholars have taken such a detailed and longitudinal look at women's fortunes running for the U.S. Congress and have posed so many essential, timely and important questions all in one place. This book is extremely well written and will be of interest to practitioners and academics alike.

The book is remarkable in a number of ways. First, Palmer and Simon's emphasis on the different campaign experiences of Democratic and Republican women running for Congress is long overdue and much needed. Second, their investigation of primary elections is key. By looking at women's experiences in both the primary and general elections, Palmer and Simon fill an important gap and are sure to spawn a great deal of additional research. Finally, their analysis of woman-against-woman races and their conclusion that female incumbents tend to stimulate female competition is quite astute. They quite convincingly demonstrate that female incumbents are perceived as being weaker than they really are, both by the opposing party and by potential challengers within their own party. This finding is important because it underscores just how uneven the playing field is for female politicians.

Palmer and Simon have set a new standard for scholarship on women running for Congress with this book. A must read!

Most comprehensive book on women running for office
This book presents the most comprehensive data to date about women running for political office in the United States.This is a must-read not only for political science types, but also for the average person interested in women and politics.Palmer and Simon did a great job combining statistics and analysis with personal anecdotes that make the material personal and meaningful.Hopefully, women reading this book will find motivation to take steps to run for office themselves and help this country achieve electoral equality.51% of the population, 14% of the representation is not enough. ... Read more

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Why were urban women veiled in the early 1900s, unveiled from 1936 to 1979, and reveiled after the 1979 revolution? This question forms the basis of Hamideh Sedghi's original and unprecedented contribution to politics and Middle Eastern studies. Using primary and secondary sources, Sedghi offers new knowledge on women's agency in relation to state power. In this rigorous analysis she places contention over women at the centre of the political struggle between secular and religious forces and demonstrates that control over women's identities, sexuality, and labor has been central to the consolidation of state power. Sedghi links politics and culture with economics to present an integrated analysis of the private and public lives of different classes of women and their modes of resistance to state power. ... Read more

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Life altering and eye opening
I had the privilege of taking a class on Women and the Middle East with the author of this book, Professor Sedghi. I learned more in that semester then I've learned in the other 15 years or so of my education, so I cannot help but write a glowing review of her work. Iran has become our enemy, and the U.S. has become determined to demonize the country and inadvertently its people. This work not only gives a unique view into Iran, but women's place in it. Sedghi is meticulous in her work, and has been researching this book for years. She is a pioneer in the this genre. Having the unique experience of being an Iranian women, and a scholar schooled in the west. In our class she constantly discussed access. We always read from women who had lived in the middle east, their unique perspective is especially prominent in Sedghi's work. This book is incredible. It shows the evolution of revolution and backlash against it. It is imperative to understand the people and women of this country to understand their actions on the world stage. This book humanizes a country that is so often demonized. Their actions are all caused by various conditions and historical tensions. Everyone should read this just to better understand a culture and to better understand women. ... Read more

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The authors explore the impact of Islam on the lives of West African women, particularly those in Nigeria and Senegal. Focusing on whether or not Islam acts as a barrier to women in the process of social change and development, they address a series of important questions. Is the pattern of training and education different for Muslim and non-Muslim girls? What is the domestic life of a Muslim woman like? How do Muslim women fare in the economy, both in the labour force and in the informal sector? Do Muslim women act as a poltical group, and are they involved in politics in ways different from the political participation of other West African women? In short, how is a Muslim woman's life different from that of her animist or Christian counterpart? These questions are placed in the context of ongoing controversy over the role of Islam in the secular realm; and also in consideration of the history of West Africa; and of the position of women in pre-Islamic West African society, which has an important bearing on their present situation.The authors also examine the impact of modernisation and industrialisation, as well as nationalist reactions to colonialism and neocolonialism, on Islamic women in West Africa. ... Read more

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According to popular conception, working-class women in the United States are part of the "silent majority." But during the 1970s and early 1980s these women have been far from silent. Speaking out both individually and collectively, they have staked new political ground for themselves and their families. Drawing on case studies of community and workplace organizing, these original essays redefine our notions of "the political" and address a wide range of topics, including the creation and reform of unions, domestic service, street vending, working-class education, health care, and social services.

The contributors have focused on working-class women from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds employed in a wide variety of jobs. Women and the Politics of Empowerment documents the story of women learning about the sources of their powerlessness and mobilizing to increase their power. ... Read more

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Comparative historical investigations of gender and political culture in 18th- and 19th-century revolutionary movements
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In recent years, identity has come to be seen as a process rather than a fact or deterministic force. Yet, recognizable identity traits continue to draw people together and provide them with a sense of empowering commonality. Although the plasticity afforded identity has freed up rigid definitions and guidelines for affiliation, some believe that nebulous demarcations of identity may deprive women of a solid position from which to effectively contest centers of power.

Bringing together articles by well-known authors and theorists such as Audre Lourde, June Jordan, Daphne Patai, Barbara Smith, Marilyn Frye, Shane Phelan, Leila J. Rupp, Hazel Carby, and Adrienne Rich with lesser-known writers and scholars, this broad-based anthology ranges widely from personal narratives to empirical research. The book unpacks issues of race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, and age, contributing a mélange of sharp, lively perspectives to current debate.

In a postmodern era of feminism, how do women come to identify, organize and mobilize themselves within a complex global network of relationships? Identity Politics in the Women's Movement offers critical examination of the inescapable role of identity in academic and activist feminism and the opportunities, challenges and conflicts identity politics pose. ... Read more

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What are the cultural and structural mechanisms that exclude women from politics in general and from local politics in particular? What meaning is ascribed to women's political activity?
Gendering Politics explores the place of women in democratic politics by means of a detailed study of women in Israeli politics who were elected to municipal councils from 1950 to 1989. Drawing from a variety of sources, including questionnaires, interviews, newspaper coverage, and existing statistical data, as well as examinations of studies of the role of women in politics in other democracies, Herzog analyzes the extent of success and failure of women in Israeli elections. She then explores reasons why female participation in Israeli politics has been relatively slight, despite historical precedents and social circumstances that would indicate otherwise.
The author examines the gendered bias of the power structure as it is shaped by basic cultural organizing principles. She exposes hidden assumptions--and notes the overt assumptions--which by definition exclude women from politics. The author also looks at the structure of opportunities within the prevailing political system, uncovering the relevant blocking and facilitating elements.
Gendering Politics will be of interest to students and scholars of women's studies, Israeli studies, political sociology, and political science.
Hanna Herzog is Associate Professor of Sociology, Tel Aviv University.
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This collection of essays examines women's involvement in politics in early modern England, as writers, as members of kinship and patronage networks, and as petitioners, intermediaries and patrons. It challenges conventional conceptualizations of female power and influence, defining "politics" broadly in order to incorporate women excluded from formal, male-dominated state institutions. The chapters embrace a range of interdisciplinary approaches: historical, literary, palaeographic, linguistic and gender based. They deal with a variety of issues related to female intervention within political spheres, including women's rhetorical, persuasive and communicative skills; the production by women of a range of texts that can be termed "political"; the politicization of marital, family and kinship networks; and female involvement in patronage and court politics. The book also looks at ways in which images of female power and authority were represented within canonical texts, such as Shakespeare's plays and Milton's epic poetry.The volume extends the range of areas and texts for the study of women, gender and politics, and locates women's political, social and cultural activities within the contexts of the family, locality and wider national stage. It argues for a blurring of the boundaries between the traditional categories of the "public" and the "private", the "domestic" and the "political"; and enhances our understanding of the ways in which women exerted political force through informal, intimate and personal, as well as more official and formal channels of power. ... Read more

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Contributed articles. ... Read more

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The unique political history of France ensures that it remains an important and exceptional example of women's participation in the politics of a Western European country, and its study is essential in order to have a complete understanding of women and politics today ... Read more