Political Representation of Women in Fifteen European Countries

Abstract

This second chapter takes a comparative perspective by analysing the relative increase in the representation of women in different European national legislatures. In most European countries, the political empowerment of women happened at a slow pace but, at the turn of the century, we find that women representatives became more visible. Of special interest is the difference between countries in the rate of increase of women’s representation. For several groups of countries, we will briefly describe the development in political involvement of women, focusing on the electoral system of the countries analysed, the party system, the impact of the integrated and autonomous women’s movement, and the role government has played over the years in stimulating or blocking the participation of women in parliament. The following groups of countries will be analysed: the Scandinavian countries Finland, Denmark and Sweden; the southern countries, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy; France, Belgium and Luxembourg; the two Anglo-Saxon countries Britain and Ireland; and Germany and Austria. The Netherlands is missing from this detailed overview since part two of this book is devoted to an analysis of the empowerment of Dutch women.