Beyond Left, Right, and Center

The Politics of Gender and Ethnicity in Contemporary Germany

Christina Xydias

• Publisher: Temple University Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9781439923771, 9781439923764
• eBook ISBN: 9781439923788
• Topic: Politica e relazioni internazionali
• Subtopic: Politica europea

Women's political representation is often expected to be better on "the left." However, the reality is more complicated. Using Germany's multi-party system as its central case study, Beyond Left, Right, and Center challenges this conventional wisdom on political ideology.

Christina Xydias shows that some right-leaning parties advocate for women's rights and interests, while left- and right-leaning parties can be equally indifferent to lack of representation for women from marginalized groups. These findings follow from analyses of election results, transcripts from debates and speeches, and personal interviews, as well as from a close reading of intertwined military and citizenship policies that illustrate how women's and ethnic minority groups' rights are constructed.

Beyond Left, Right, and Center concludes with an analysis of women's representation across OECD countries, showing that right-leaning parties are more likely to support women's rights and interests in societies that are more egalitarian.

Table of contents

• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Theoretical Framework
• 3. Gender, Ethnicity, and the German Political System
• 4. German Political Parties: Representing the Problem of Underrepresentation
• 5. German Political Parties’ Actions to Promote Inclusion
• 6. Rates of Election and Party Leadership
• 7. The Incomplete Citizen in Germany
• 8. Political Parties across the OECD
• 9. Conclusion
• Appendices
• Notes
• References
• Index