Abstract
Research on women’s political representation in post-socialist Europe has highlighted the
role of cultural and political factors in obstructing women’s access to legislative power, such
as the prevalence of traditional gender stereotypes, electoral systems, and the absence of a
feminist movement. Yet the role of women political elites in enhancing or hindering women’s
access to political power in the region has so far remained uncharted. This article seeks to
fill some of the existing gaps in this literature by examining the views of women politicians
with regard to women’s political underrepresentation and their assessments of strategies for
redressing this imbalance. Findings from the analysis reveal that although women politicians
recognize gender inequalities in representation as a problem requiring intervention, how the
problem is perceived, and the preferred measures to deal with it, is largely shaped by the
social and cultural context in which these actors are embedded.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 149-171 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Gender & Society |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 11 Feb 2008 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2008 |