CONSCIENCE DE GENRE ET REPRESENTATION POLITIQUE DES FEMMES
In: Politique et sociétés, Band 29, Heft 15, S. 93-137
ISSN: 1203-9438
THE GOAL OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO GAIN BETTER INSIGHT INTO THE IDENTITY OF FEMALE MAYORS IN QUEBEC IN SEPTEMBER 1993. BEYOND A PURELY DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS, IT SUGGESTS ANOTHER DIMENSION TO THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN POLITICS IN REPRESENTING THE FEMALE POPULATION. THREE QUESTIONS ARE DISCUSSED. FIRST, FROM A DEMOGRAPHIC POINT OF VIEW, WHO ARE THE FEMALE MAYORS OF QUEBEC? SECOND, WHAT DO THEY THINK ABOUT THE IDEA OF REPRESENTING WOMEN? FINALLY, WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GENDER CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN? SURVEY AND INTERVIEW DATA SHOW THAT, ACCORDING TO THEIR BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS, QUEBEC FEMALE MAYORS ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN THE POPULATION, AND THAT A MAJORITY OF THEM REFUSE THE MANDATE TO REPRESENT THE FEMALE POPULATION. NEVERTHELESS, EVERYTHING SUGGESTS THAT THEY DO HAVE A GENDER CONSCIOUSNESS. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD IDENTIFY THE CAUSES OF THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE MENTAL PREDISPOSITION OF FEMALE POLITICIANS TO REPRESENT WOMEN AND THEIR REFUSAL TO DO SO IN PRACTICE.