Women in the South African Parliament : from resistance to governance / Hannah Evelyn Britton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Britton, Hannah Evelyn.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women--Political activity--South Africa.

Women.

Women legislators--South Africa.

Women legislators.

South Africa--Politics and government--1994-.

South Africa.

South Africa. Parliament (1994- ).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (225 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Although the international press closely chronicled the dismantling of South Africa's apartheid policies, it paid little attention to the unique role women from a variety of political parties played in establishing the new government. Utilizing interviews, participant observation, and archival research, Women in the South African Parliament tells an inspiring story of liberation, showing how these women achieved electoral success, learned to work with lifelong enemies, and began to transform Parliament by creating more space for women's voices during a critical time in the life of their democracy. Arguing from her detailed analysis of the strategies and political tactics used by these South African women, both individually and collectively, Hannah Britton contends that, contrary claims in earlier studies of the developing world, mobilization by women prior to a transition to democracy can lead to gains after the transition--including improvements in constitutional mandates, party politics, and representation. At the same time, Britton demonstrates that not even national leadership can ensure power for all women and that many who were elected to South Africa's first democratic parliament declined to run again, feeling they could have a greater impact working in their own communities.

Contents:

Introduction: women and the struggle for liberation

Party politics in the transition to democracy

"Making women visible" : women's integration into Parliament

Class structure, role differentiation, and gender identities

Institutional and legislative transformation

Implementing gender : the national gender machinery

The second generation : the future of women in Parliament.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [179]-189) and index.

ISBN:

9786613135575

9781283135573

1283135574

9780252090615

0252090616

OCLC:

785782169