Published
Mar 9, 2015Page count
576 pagesISBN
978-1447315803Dimensions
240 x 172 mmImprint
Policy PressPublished
Jul 30, 2014Page count
576 pagesISBN
978-1447315780Dimensions
240 x 172 mmImprint
Policy PressPublished
Jul 30, 2014Page count
576 pagesISBN
978-1447316374Dimensions
Imprint
Policy PressPublished
Jul 30, 2014Page count
576 pagesISBN
978-1447315889Dimensions
Imprint
Policy Press
Women of Power
In the media
On our blog: Promoting women’s access to political power
CHOICE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE 2015
Do women national leaders represent a breakthrough for the women’s movement, or is women’s leadership weaker than the numbers imply? This unique book, written by an experienced politician and academic, is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of how and why women in 53 countries rose to the top in the years since World War II. Packed with fascinating case studies detailing the rise to power of all 73 female presidents and prime ministers from around the world, from 1960 (when the first was elected) to 2010, the motives, achievements and life stories of the female top leaders, including findings from interviews carried out by the author, provide a nuanced picture of women in power. The book will have wide international appeal to students, academics, government officials, women’s rights activists and political activists, as well as anyone interested in international affairs, politics, social issues, gender and equality.
Torild Skard is a senior researcher in women’s studies at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs in Oslo, specialising in women in politics. A pioneer in the women’s movement nationally and internationally, she was formerly an MP and the first woman president of the Norwegian Upper House. She has also been director for the Status of Women in UNESCO Paris, regional director in UNICEF West and Central Africa and director general in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has written numerous books and articles on women’s issues, particularly women in politics, and travels widely, studying and promoting the status of women.
Preface;
Introduction;
Breakthrough on several continents;
Women in politics;
Western industrial countries I;
‘Roaring she-tigers’ in South Asia;
Equilibrists in East Asia;
Machism, marianism, modernism in Latin America;
Lopsided democracies in the Caribbean;
‘Big Chiefs’ in sub-Saharan Africa;
Eastern Bloc from communism to capitalism;
Western industrial countries II;
Where women rose to the top;
When women made it.
