Women and Political Leadership in Global Perspective

Catalog description

Women's political rights, or the rights to elect and be elected to political office, are recognized nearly everywhere. Despite widespread legal recognition of women's political rights, women's presence and influence on formal politics remains limited both in the U.S. and across much of the globe, largely due to the numerous obstacles that are intentionally built into our political structures. Rather than passive subjects however, women and feminist actors, as active agents, have been demanding and organizing for more gender egalitarian political structures in their communities and beyond; and have achieved important gains. The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with key concepts of women's political agency both at the grassroots levels and political decision-making. From an intersectional lens, we will analyze the significance of women as political leaders and decision-makers, as activists, or change makers, while highlighting the main obstacles and opportunities that impact their political influence. Drawing from the literature on gender and politics, we will also identify major strategies that have aimed to expand women's political empowerment in diverse global contexts, including in the Middle East and North African region, through measures such as gender quotas, women's policy making agencies, and transnational advocacy networks.