Gendering Government - Feminist Engagement with the State in Australia and Canada (Electronic book text)

Feminists, like other political actors, cannot avoid the state. Whether they want equal pay, anti-domestic violence laws, refugee or childcare centres, they must engage with state institutions. What determines the nature and extent of this involvement? Why are some feminists more willing to engage with some institutions, while others are not?

Gendering Government seeks to answer these questions through a comparison of feminist engagement with political institutions in Australia and Canada. Chappell considers what effect political institutions have had on shaping feminist claims, and in turn, to what extent these claims shape the nature of these institutions. She adds a new dimension to our understanding of the relationship between gender interests and government, showing how the interaction is dynamic and mutually defining. She further extends existing comparative studies in the field of women and politics by examining the full range of such institutions, including the electoral, parliamentary, legal/constitutional, and bureaucratic arenas.