Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-21T10:25:40.630Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Change in Women's Descriptive Representation and the Belief in Women's Ability to Govern: A Virtuous Cycle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2012

Amy C. Alexander
Amy C. Alexander*
Affiliation:
Georg-August-University Göttingen
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

As a core principle of democratic theory, political scientists stress the importance of more inclusive and diverse elected bodies (Mansbridge 1999; Phillips 1995; Pitkin 1967; Williams 1998; Young 2000). A large portion of that literature discusses the positive symbolic effects of elected bodies when they come closer to mirroring the population from which they are drawn. For underrepresented groups, increases in their descriptive representation symbolize a more open political arena. This improves the group's political participation as well as beliefs about the group's role in politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , December 2012 , pp. 437 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Alexander, Amy C., and Welzel, Christian. 2011a. “Empowering Women.” European Sociological Review 27 (3): 364–84.Google Scholar
Alexander, Amy C, and Welzel, Christian. 2011b. “Islam and Patriarchy.” International Review of Sociology 21 (2): 249–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Araújo, Clara, and García, Ana. 2006. “Latin America.” In Women, Quotas & Politics, ed. Dahlerup, Drude. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Atkeson, Lonna R. 2003. “Not All Cues are Created Equal.” The Journal of Politics 65 (4): 1040–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkeson, Lonna R., and Carrillo, Nancy. 2007. “More is Better.” Politics & Gender 3 (1): 79–101.Google Scholar
Banaszak, Lee Ann. 2006. “Gendering the State and Citizen's Attitudes towards Women's Roles.” Politics & Gender 2 (1): 29–55.Google Scholar
Barnes, Tiffany, and Burchard, Stephanie. 2010. “The Impact of Descriptive Representation on Women's Political Participation in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Presented at APSA 2010 Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.Google Scholar
Beck, Fazit N., and Katz, Jonathon N.. 1995. “What To Do (And Not To Do) With Time-Series Cross-Section Data.” American Political Science Review 89 (3): 634–47.Google Scholar
Belsley, David, Kuh, Edwin, and Welsch, Roy. 1980. Regression Diagnostics. New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Bollen, Kenneth. 1984. “Multiple Indicators.” Quality and Quantity 18 (4): 377–85.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. 1985. Women as Candidates in American Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Dahlerup, Drude, and Freidenvall, Lenita. 2005. “Quotas as a ‘Fast Track’ to Equal Politial Representation for Women.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 7 (1): 26–48.Google Scholar
Desposato, Scott, and Norrander, Barbara. 2009. “The Gender Gap in Latin America.” British Journal of Political Science 39 (1): 141–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen. 2006. “Symbolic Mobilization?” American Politics Research 34 (6): 687–704.Google Scholar
Duffy, Diane. 2000. “Social Identity and its Influence on Women's Roles in East-Central Europe.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 5 (2): 163–90.Google Scholar
Einhorn, Barbara. 1993. Cinderella Goes to Market. London: Verso.Google Scholar
Fiebig, Denzil. 2001. “Seemingly Unrelated Regression.” In A Companion to Theoretical Econometrics, ed. Baltagi, Badi. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 101–21.Google Scholar
Franzmann, Majella. 2000. Women and Religion. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gal, Susan, and Kligman, Gail. 2000. The Politics of Gender After Socialism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galligan, Yvonne, and Clavero, Sara. 2008. “Prospects for Women's Legislative Representation in Postsocialist Europe.” Gender and Society 22 (2): 149–71.Google Scholar
Hansen, Susan. 1997. “Talking About Politics.” Journal of Politics 59 (1): 73–103.Google Scholar
High-Pippert, Angela, and Comer, John. 1998. “Female Empowerment.” Women and Politics 19 (4): 53–66.Google Scholar
Inglehart, Ronald, and Norris, Pippa. 2003. Rising Tide. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Inglehart, Ronald, and Welzel, Christian. 2005. Modernization, Cultural Change and Democracy. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Inter Parliamentary Union 2009. Archive for the Percentage of Women in Parliament. http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/world.htm (3 January 2009).Google Scholar
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2009. Global Database of Quotas for Women. http://www.quotaproject.org/ (3 January 2009).Google Scholar
Johnson, Deb, Kabuchu, Hope, and Kayonga, Santa V.. 2003. “Women in Ugandan Local Government.” Gender and Development 11 (3): 8–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karp, Jeffery, and Banducci, Susan. 2008. “When Politics is Not Just a Man's Game.” Electoral Studies 27 (1): 105–15.Google Scholar
Keele, Luke, and Kelly, Nathan. 2006. “Dynamic Models for Dynamic Theories.” Political Analysis 14 (2): 186–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenworthy, Lane, and Malami, Melissa. 1999. “Gender Inequality in Political Representation.” Social Forces 78 (1): 235–68.Google Scholar
Kittilson, Miki Caul, and Schwindt-Bayer, Leslie. 2010. “Engaging Citizens.” Journal of Politics 72 (4): 990–1002.Google Scholar
Koch, Jeffery. 1997. “Candidate Gender and Women's Psychological Engagement in Politics.” American Politics Quarterly 25 (January): 118–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kolinsky, Eva. 1993. Women in Contemporary Germany. Oxford: Berg.Google Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer. 2004. “Politics of Presence?” Political Research Quarterly 57 (1): 81–99.Google Scholar
Mansbridge, Jane. 1999. “Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women?” Journal of Politics 61 (3): 628–57.Google Scholar
Matland, Richard. 2002. “Enhancing Women's Political Participation: Legislative Recruitment and Electoral Systems.” In Women in Parliament: Beyond the Numbers, ed. Karam, Azza. Stockholm, Sweden: IDEA, 65–90.Google Scholar
Mayakayaka-Manzini, Mavivi. 2003. “Political Party Quotas in South Africa.” Presented at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance's Forum Conference on The Implementation of Quotas: African Experiences, Pretoria, South Africa.Google Scholar
Miles, Jeremy, and Shevlin, Mark. 2001. Applying Regression and Correlation. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa. 1993. “Conclusions: Comparing Legislative Recruitment.” In Gender and Party Politics, ed. Lovenduski, Joni and Norris, Pippa. Newberry Park, CA: Sage, 309–30.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa, and Krook, Mona Lena. 2009. “One of Us.” Presented at the APSA 2009 Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa, Lovenduski, Joni, and Campbell, Rosie. 2004. Research Report. London: The Electoral Commission.Google Scholar
Paxton, Pamela, and Hughes, Melanie. 2007. Women, Politics and Power. London: Pine Forge Press.Google Scholar
Paxton, Pamela, and Kunovich, Sheri. 2003. “Women's Political Presence.” Social Forces 82 (1): 87–114.Google Scholar
Phillips, Ann. 1995. The Politics of Presence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Pitkin, Hanna. 1967. The Concept of Representation. Berkeley: University of California.Google Scholar
Raudenbush, Stephen, and Bryk, Tony. 2002. Hierarchical Linear Models, 2nd ed.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Reingold, Beth, and Harrell, Jessica. 2009. “The Impact of Descriptive Representation on Women's Political Engagement: Does Party Matter?” Political Research Quarterly 63 (2): 280–94.Google Scholar
Rueschemeyer, Marilyn, ed. 1995. Women in the Politics of Postcommunist Eastern Europe. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.Google Scholar
Rueschemeyer, Marilyn, and Schlisser, Hanna. 1990. “Women in the Two Germanys.” German Studies Review 13 (DAAD Special Issue): 71–85.Google Scholar
Sapiro, Virginia. 1981. “When are Interests Interesting?” American Political Science Review 75 (3): 701–16.Google Scholar
Sapiro, Virginia, and Connover, Pamela. 1997. “The Variable Gender Bias of Electoral Politics.” British Journal of Political Science 27 (4): 497–523.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saxonberg, Steven. 2000. “Women in East European Parliaments.” Journal of Democracy 11 (2): 145–58.Google Scholar
Tabachnick, Barbara, and Fidell, Linda. 2009. Using Multivariate Statistics. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.Google Scholar
Tripp, Aili Mari, and Kang, Alice. 2008. “The Global Impact of Quotas.” Comparative Political Studies 41 (3): 338–61.Google Scholar
Valiente, Celia. 2008. “How Spanish Women Gained Thirty-Six Percent of Parliamentary Seats.” Presented at the Annual Meeting, Midwest Political Science Association, April 3–6.Google Scholar
Wide, Jessika. 2002. “Women's Political Representation Around the Globe.” Presented at the Commonwealth Conference on Educational Administration and Management, Umea, Sweden.Google Scholar
Williams, Melissa S. 1998. Voice, Trust and Memory. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolbrecht, Christina, and Campbell, David E.. 2007. “Leading by Example.” American Journal of Political Science 51 (4): 921–39.Google Scholar
Wolchick, Sharon, and Meyer, Alfred, eds. 1985. Women, State and Party in Eastern Europe. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.Google Scholar
Young, Iris. 2000. Inclusion and Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Zellner, Arnold. 1962. “An Efficient Model of Estimating Seemingly Unrelated Regression Equations and Tests of Aggregation Bias.” Journal of the American Statistical Association 57 (298): 348–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar