Title: Sex, gender and the Conservative Party : from Iron Lady to Kitten Heels /
Authors: Childs, Sarah, 1969-; Webb, Paul, 1959 April 15-
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan,
Year: 2011
Subjects: Conservative Party (Great Britain); Women legislators Great Britain.; Women Political activity Great Britain.; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Political Parties.; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Leadership.; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies.; Conservatism & right-of-centre democratic ideologies United Kingdom, Great Britain.; Gender studies: women United Kingdom, Great Britain.; Political parties United Kingdom, Great Britain.; Politics and Government.; Women legislators; Women Political activity
Abstract: Sex, Gender and the Conservative Party provides a comprehensive gendered analysis of the contemporary UK Conservative Party. The modernization of the Conservative Party under David Cameron's leadership has garnered much comment. However, scholars have rarely considered the role of feminization in this. As leader of the party, Cameron inherited a multi-faceted gender problem: only 17 women MPs; an unhappy women's organization; electorally uncompetitive policies 'for women'; and a party which was seemingly unattractive to women voters. Written by leading gender politics and party scholars this book draws on extensive new empirical research to fill this gap. It examines how the party sought to increase the number of Conservative women MPs and looks at the nature and role of the women's organizations. It also analyzes how the party 'acted for women' in the 2005 Parliament, the nature of its electoral offer to women in 2010 and how party members and voters were likely to respond to the party's feminization efforts.
Contents: Introduction€ -- PART I: WOMEN'S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION -- Conservatism, Representation and Feminization -- PART€II:€WOMEN'S DESCRIPTIVE REPRESENTATION€ -- Women Members and the Party's Women's Organizations -- Conservative Legislative Recruitment -- Reforming Parliamentary Selection: Party Change, Parliamentarian and Party Member Attitudes -- PART€III: WOMEN'S SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION€ -- Party Member Attitudes and Women's Policy (By and For Women?) -- Sex, Gender and Parliamentary Behaviour in the 2005 Parliament -- PART€IV: FEMINIZATION AND PARTY STRATEGY -- Feminization and Party Cohesion -- Feminization and the Electorate -- Conclusion -- Methods Appendix -- References -- Index.