Women's legislative participation in western Europe

Abstract

INTRODUCTION One of the most reliable and widely accepted generalisations in political science is that in virtually every society the higher echelons of power are dominated by men.1 Rule by men is so pervasive that writers refer to an 'iron law of andrarchy' in politics.2 In some societies, however, this generalisation needs to be questioned. Over the years only a few women have been elected to the British Parliament, the US Congress and the French National Assembly, but in other societies, such as Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands, there have been remarkable changes during the last 20 years. Why do these differences exist, and what factors help to account for increased female representation? This article compares women legislators in developed liberal, and especially Western European, democracies, questioning whether cultural, socio-economic or institutional factors are most significant in explaining cross-national differences. Since in all 24 nations considered, women formally enjoy equal rights to compete for office, we ask, 'given legal equality, why are women more successful in gaining entry to parliamentary elites in some countries than others?'