A comprehensive global text on women in politics, this book provides a clear and detailed introduction to women’s political representation across a wide range of countries and regions, addressing both women’s parliamentary representation and women’s ascendance to leadership positions as heads of state or cabinet ministers. Using broad statistical overviews and detailed case-study accounts, the book documents both historical trends and the contemporary state of women’s political strength across diverse countries. It also reviews and evaluates contemporary debates on why and how women’s access to political power varies across countries.

The facts and figures detailed in the book, combined with its synthesis of existing theory, help to answer questions such as: Why have women succeeded in obtaining political power in some countries and not in others? Why did some countries take decades to elect their first female member of parliament, while others had women in their first legislative meeting? Is America a leader in promoting women’s political representation, or does it fall behind other countries?