This book examines the many routes forty or so women have taken to become president or prime minister of their countries and the problems they have encountered once in office. Their ability to deal with the difficulties of governmental and party leadership in a male-dominated culture are discussed along with an evaluation of their performance in managing domestic problems and handling the issues of war and peace. The essential question asked throughout is what difference being female made in their governing style.

This book analyzes how the media covers women leaders and reinforces gendered evaluations of their candidacies and performance. It deals with current transformations in political communication that may change the nature and scope of leadership in contemporary democracies with implications for relations between female leaders, media and citizens.

This book is the first comprehensive academic effort to examine the phenomenon of top female political leaders in Asia. It portrays prime ministers, presidents, and opposition leaders, but it is not a conventional biographical volume. Rather, it analyzes female politicians by means of case studies that are based on a common theoretical framework. The case studies were conducted over three years of field research, which included interviews with the female leaders themselves and members of their inner circle. Each chapter explores the similarities, but also points to the distinctiveness of each female leader, arising from political and social systems, cultural and religious conditions, and economic parameters. (Series: Political Science Perspectives / Politikwissenschaftliche Perspektiven - Vol. 16)

Women’s minimal leadership role in national and local political spheres remains a serious concern worldwide. The Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005–2015 calls on governments to introduce measures to promote at least 30 per cent representation of women in parliament, government and business. The Impact of Women’s Political Leadership on Democracy and Development describes the barriers to women’s political participation and explains why the contribution of women is so crucial to democracy. It identifies established strategies – electoral reform (New Zealand), party voluntary quotas (South Africa), and legislative quotas (Bangladesh and India) – that have helped these Commonwealth countries to meet the global target of 30 per cent and thus to effectively advance the participation of women in decision-making at all levels.

Rare though it may be, women have occupied the highest offices of their societies since ancient times. Queen Nefertiti, Catherine the Great, Queen Victoria, Margaret Thatcher, and Angela Merkel are all examples of women who earned power and respect from their leadership. Others have devoted their lives to fixing society’s problems. Students will learn about a wide variety of women who have made their mark on history through leadership and example. Also included are chapter notes, a glossary, a further reading section containing books and websites, and an index.

The ability of a small elite of highly educated, upper-class Asian women to obtain the highest political positions in their country is unmatched elsewhere in the world and deserves study. But there is a marked lack of relevant research as well as of comprehensive and user-friendly texts. Aiming to fill the gap is this timely and important study of the various obstacles and opportunities for women's political participation and representation in Asia.

Narratives of Triumph and Loss explores the successes, challenges and controversies of women‘s post-conflict political leadership. Through interviews with women who have held significant leadership positions, the book explores the relationships between their educational, professional, activist and personal backgrounds. It situates their stories within historical and contemporary political contexts, illustrating the gendered ways in which women experience politics as citizens and politicians.

While the Arab Uprisings presented new opportunities for the empowerment of women, the sidelining of women remains a constant risk in the post-revolutionist MENA countries. Changes in the position of women are crucial to the reconfiguration of state-society relations and to the discussions between Islamist and secular trends. Theoretically framed and based on new empirical data, this edited volume explores women’s activism and political representation as well as discursive changes, with a particular focus on secular and Islamic feminism, and changes in popular opinions on women’s position in society. While the contributors express optimistic as well as more pessimistic views for the future, they agree that this is a period of uncertainty for women in the region, and that support by ruling elites towards women’s rights remains ambiguous and double-edged.

These volumes provide an authoritative reference resource on leadership issues specific to women and gender, with a focus on positive aspects and opportunities for leadership in various domains.

This Palgrave Handbook provides a definitive account of women’s political rights across all major regions of the world, focusing both on women’s right to vote and women’s right to run for political office. This dual focus makes this the first book to combine historical overviews of debates about enfranchising women alongside analyses of more contemporary efforts to increase women’s political representation around the globe. Chapter authors map and assess the impact of these groundbreaking reforms, providing insight into these dynamics in a wide array of countries where women’s suffrage and representation have taken different paths and led to varying degrees of transformation. On the eve of many countries celebrating a century of women’s suffrage, as well as record numbers of women elected and appointed to political office, this timely volume offers an important introduction to ongoing developments related to women’s political empowerment worldwide. It will be of interest to students and scholars across the fields of gender and politics, women’s studies, history and sociology.