Women in Upper Houses: A Global Perspective

In analyses of female representation in lower houses, the adoption of quotas, the electoral system and the religious aspect have been identified as the main explanatory variables. In the case of upper houses, I see a relationship between their political strength and women’s presence in them: when th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pedro Neiva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Brazilian Political Science Association 2008-06-01
Series:Brazilian Political Science Review
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.bpsr.org.br/index.php/bpsr/article/view/41/34
Description
Summary:In analyses of female representation in lower houses, the adoption of quotas, the electoral system and the religious aspect have been identified as the main explanatory variables. In the case of upper houses, I see a relationship between their political strength and women’s presence in them: when they are weak, the presence of female representatives tends to be larger, when they are strong, women’s presence is smaller. Furthermore, the article shows that an analysis based solely on the number of seats held by women is insufficient for one to gather the true dimensions of their participation in politics. Evaluating the role and expressiveness of the institutions in which they are present is also necessary.
ISSN:1981-3821
1981-3821