Women in politics

Women in politics are women who participate in political institutions and public leadership, as voters, activists, candidates, elected officials, and policymakers.

Descriptive representation: Representation in which elected officials share characteristics or identities with the people they represent. It measures women’s presence in office, distinct from what women officeholders do.
Electoral system: The rules that translate votes into elected offices. Electoral rules influence parties’ incentives to nominate women and affect women’s chances of winning.
Women’s suffrage in the United States: The movement that secured women’s voting rights in the United States, culminating in the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. It illustrates a mass campaign that expanded women’s formal political participation.
Political representation: The ways people’s interests, identities, and views are present and acted upon in political institutions. Women’s political participation is a specific dimension of representation across social groups.
Gender gap in politics: The difference between women’s and men’s participation, representation, or influence in political life. It describes continuing disparities even where women have formal political rights.
Substantive representation: Representation in which officials act to advance the interests of the people they represent. It asks whether women in office advance women’s interests, not merely occupy seats.
Political party: An organized group that seeks political power by contesting elections and influencing government. Parties control many nomination processes and can either open or restrict routes to office.
Women’s suffrage in the United Kingdom: The campaign that won voting rights for women in the United Kingdom, beginning with limited rights in 1918 and equal voting terms in 1928. Its contrasting militant and constitutional strategies reveal varied paths to enfranchisement.
Tokenism: The appearance of inclusion through limited representation that does not redistribute meaningful influence. A few women in office may signal inclusion without changing who controls political decisions.
Political violence against women: Violence or threats targeting women because of their political activity or gender. Harassment and violence can deter women from entering politics or speaking publicly.

Linked from 8 pages