Why Don't Women Rule the World?: Understanding Women's Civic and Political Choices

"[Why Don’t Women Rule the World?] is unlike other texts in its comparative approach and strong theoretical underpinnings. It has interesting pedagogical features that will resonate with comparative scholars, Americanists and those who integrate public policy analysis into the course."
―Rebecca E. Deen, University of Texas at Arlington  

Why don’t women have more influence over the way the world is structured?  

Written by four leaders within the national and international academic caucuses on women and politics, Why Don′t Women Rule the World? helps students to understand how the underrepresentation of women manifests within politics, and the impact this has on policy. Grounded in theory with practical, job-related activities, the book offers a thorough introduction to the study of women and politics, and will bolster students’ political interests, ambitions, and efficacy.  

Key Features: 

• A comparative perspective expands students’ awareness of their own intersectional identities and the varying effects of patriarchy on women worldwide.  
• A variety of policy areas highlighted throughout the book illustrates how different theories are applied to real-world situations.            
• Multiple political engagement activities keep students engaged with the content.

Dr. Lori M. Poloni-Staudinger (PhD, Indiana University, 2005) is Associate Dean for research, personnel, and graduate programs in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and a Professor of Political Science at Northern Arizona University. Her research and publications focus on social movements, political contention and extra-institutional participation, and political institutions, mainly in Western Europe. Her recent work examines questions around women and political violence. She was a Distinguished Fulbright Fellow at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, Austria, and has served as a consultant for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. She also taught at University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian, Spain. She served as treasurer, vice president and president of the Women’s Caucus for the Midwest Political Science Association. Lori is a Kettering Foundation Fellow and also serves as vice president of a school board and president of a non-profit board in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Dr. Shannon Jenkins (PhD, Loyola University Chicago, 2003) is a professor in the Department of Political Science and the Academic Director of Online Learning at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her research and publications focus on decision making in U.S. state legislatures, with a specific interest in the role of political organizations and gender in shaping outputs in these institutions, and the impact of specific pedagogical practices on student learning outcomes in political science courses. She has been a Fulbright Lecturer at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai in 2012 and at Yokohama National University and Tokai University in Japan in 2019. Previously, she taught at Central Michigan University. She was also elected to and currently serves on the School Committee in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Candice D. Ortbals  (PhD, Indiana University, 2004) is Professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University. Her publications relate to state feminism in Spain and gender and terrorism. She has been the newsletter editor, president-elect, and president of the Women’s Caucus of the Midwest Political Science Association. She also served as President for the National Women’s Caucus of Political Science. She has taught at the University of Seville, and she was winner of the Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics. She has also received numerous grants from the government of Spain to study women in regional and local government.