Different Roles, Different Voices: Women and Politics in the United States and Europe

Several papers in the book address what might be termed a persistent problem in feminism. That women differ in their political values, often as a function of whether they consider themselves to be feminists. These differences are quantified in some studies summarised by the papers. The differences are also correlated with party identification in the US. Unsurprisingly, the Republican party has few feminists, compared to the Democrats. Some chapters study the amount of representation by women in national parliaments. The US has a relatively sparse rate, compared to several European countries. Why this might be is speculated. There is little indication in the text that female participation in US politics will increase to European levels anytime soon.