Gender and Politics

This course focuses on the comparative study of women and politics and on the barriers that women face in obtaining positions of power in the political realm. Historically, politics has been a male-dominated sphere from which women have been largely excluded. The participation of women in politics however has extended over the last decades around the world. Not only women have attained the right to vote and stand for office in many countries, they have also mobilized, organized, affiliated to women’s movement, and have won offices in national, regional, and local governments.

Women entering the political realm have contributed to shifting the way politics is done and the type of policies that are given priority across the world. Yet the extent to which this happens greatly vary across countries and regions around the world. What explains these differences? Why have some political systems more fruitfully integrated women into politics than others? Do men and women substantively differ in the way they understand and get involved in politics? Is there a gender gap in political engagement and ambition? Once in power, do women govern differently than men? These are just a few of the questions we will seek to answer in this course through the exploration of research on women in democratic politics.