| Unit name | Gender and Political Leadership |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPAIM0027 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Childs |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit addresses the gendered nature of political leadership, broadly conceived in terms of legislative, executive, supranational institutions and civil society. It integrates theoretical and empirical approaches to the study of gender and political leadership. Concepts of masculinities and femininities, and feminist theories underpin the unit, and both men and women’s political participation is examined. As women are under-represented and men over-represented, women’s political leadership constitutes the key focus. The unit addresses key debates about gender, political representation (descriptive, substantive, symbolic), and equality strategies (quotas, gender mainstreaming, state feminism). Global and historical comparisons are undertaken and the unit enables analysis of institutional change and policy implementation.
Legislatures 1. Descriptive representation I: women’s under-representation/men’s overrepresentation: theories of political recruitment; theories of substantive and symbolic representation 2. Descriptive representation II: sex parity/intersectionality; quotas; country case studies - Executives 3. Executive theories: global overview; gendered critiques of core executive/governance; sex parity cabinets; substantive/symbolic representation Political leaders 4. Mainstream/gendered critiques of political leadership/prime ministers/presidents 5. Women leaders: who are they/how did they get there/what did they do? comparing feminist and women’s political leadership International organizations 6. Theories of gender mainstreaming 7. Gender & supranational institutions and governance: governance theory; UN, Beijing, and after, UN woman; EU gender policy and institutions, FEMM (EU women’s rights committee) and EU Women’s Lobby The state and civil society 8. State feminism 9. Gender and social/civil society movements, NGOs 10. Women’s issues in global perspective: Violence against Women; Reproductive Rights
Aims 1. To analyse political leadership from a gendered perspective 2. To examine and develop advanced understanding of theories of gender and political representation 3. To acquire extensive knowledge of global data on gender and political leadership and be able to undertake comparative analysis Learning outcomes 1. An advanced understanding of, and ability to apply, gendered theories of political leadership 2. A sophisticated appreciation of different theories of political representation, both mainstream and feminist 3. Comprehensive knowledge of the global patterns of women’s and men’s political leadership at the legislative, executive and supra-national levels 4. Competency in undertaking comparative analysis 5. Ability to integrate empirical and theoretical analysis in both oral and written work Transferable skills 1. Oral participation including seminar leadership skills 2. Small group work 3. Locating, collating and interpreting complex empirical data/information 4. Comparing and evaluating between competing theoretical/interpretative accounts of particular phenomenon
10 x 2-hour seminars
3,500-4,000 word assessed essay (100% summative assessment)
Coursepack (Tbc) Women, Gender, and Politics, A Reader, Krook and Childs 2010 The New Politics of Gender Equality, Judith Squires, 2007 Women’s Movements Facing the Reconfigured State, Lee Ann Banaszak, Karen Beckwith, Dieter Rucht Women in Executive Power, Gretchen Bauer and Manon Tremblay, 2011 When Protest Makes Policy, Laurel Weldon 2012
