Critical Mass Theory and Women's Political Representation
In: Political studies: the journal of the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom, Volume 56, Issue 3, p. 725-736
Abstract
In studies of women's legislative behaviour, the concept of critical mass is widely used and, more recently, criticised as a tool for understanding the relationship between the percentage of female legislators and the passage of legislation beneficial to women as a group. In this research note, we revisit classic contributions by Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Drude Dahlerup and outline and discuss their assumptions regarding anticipated connections between numbers and outcomes. We find that later gender and politics scholars have often misconstrued their work, with crucial implications for subsequent research on relations between the descriptive and substantive representation of women. We argue that clarifying the theoretical origins of the critical mass concept is crucial for forging a more coherent and cumulative research agenda on women's political representation. Adapted from the source document.
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Languages
English
Publisher
Blackwell Publishing, Oxford UK
ISSN: 1467-9248
DOI
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