Women Presidents and Prime Ministers in Post-Transition Democracies

Verónica Montecinos

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781137482396
• eBook ISBN:
  9781137482402
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Comparative Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book contributes to our understanding of the trajectories and prerogatives of female political leaders in the varying context of democratization, political institutions and cultural norms. No woman had been elected leader of a country before 1960, but with democratic transitions on the rise since the 1970s, the number of women in executive office gradually became a trend of global scope. In 2015, nineteen countries had an elected female Head of State and/or Government, a proportionally small number that is expected to climb as more women compete for high office, sometimes against other female candidates. This volume compares how women executives differ in promoting gender equality and advocating for women's rights and interests, as well as in their ability to negotiate gender policy agendas. Comparative and theoretical chapters on post-transition women leaders are complemented by case studies in eight countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern and Central Europe. This book will be of use to students and scholars interested in gender studies, comparative politics, and political leadership.

Table of contents

• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• Notes on Contributors
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Women at the Top: Leadership, Institutions and the Quality of Democracy
• Chapter 3: Global Trends in Women’s Executive Leadership
• Chapter 4: Gender and Institutions in Post-Transition Executives
• Chapter 5: Cultural Explanations for Men’s Dominance of National Leadership Worldwide
• Chapter 6: Dilma Rousseff (2011–2016): A Crisis of Governance and Consensus in Brazil
• Chapter 7: Michelle Bachelet: Engendering Chile’s Democratization
• Chapter 8: Luísa Dias Diogo: Gender and Political Leadership in Mozambique
• Chapter 9: Assessing Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Presidency: Effects on Substantive Representation in Liberia
• Chapter 10: Corazon Aquino: The Reluctant First Female President of the Philippines
• Chapter 11: Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh: Politics, Personality and Policies
• Chapter 12: Iveta Radičová: The First Female Prime Minister in Slovakia
• Chapter 13: Challenges of a Post-Communist Presidency: Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the Leadership of Latvia
• Chapter 14: Postcript
• Index