Gender, Conservatism and Political Representation

Can Conservatives represent women? Descriptively of course, they do. Conservative parties and organisations are increasingly feminised; conservative women sit in many of the world's parliaments; a few women have led conservative parties; and there are, and have been, Conservative Prime Ministers. But whether these women actually stand for women, act for women and re-gender representation is likely to invite greater contestation. Contributors to this edited collection address head-on the puzzle of conservative women who engage in gendered political representation but do so within a conservative setting. Individual chapters examine women's participation as conservative movement and party members, supporters, candidates, leaders, legislators and ministers – in countries ranging from Europe, the US, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Turkey and Morocco. Assessment is made of the nature of their representational contribution, and the relationship they have with conservative women's views in society.

Karen Celis is research professor at the Department of Political Science of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and affiliated to RHEA (Centre for Gender and Diversity). She conducts theoretical and empirical research (qualitative, comparative) on political representation of groups (women, ethnic minorities, class, age groups, LGBT), equality policies and state feminism. She is co-editor of theThe Oxford Handbook on Gender and Politics (OUP, 2013, with Georgina Waylen, Johanna Kantola and Laurel Weldon).



Sarah Childs is Professor of Politics at the University of Bristol, and Director of the UoB’s SPAIS Gender Research Centre. She has published widely on gender, representation, political parties and the UK Parliament. Her latest book, Sex, Gender and the Conservative Party: From Iron Lady to Kitten Heels, with Paul Webb, was published in 2012.