Full Description
This book comes out of a conference in April of 1999 at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University on the topic of 'Gender Parity and the Liberal Tradition: Proposals and Debates in Europe and the United States.' It is a collection of short essays that attempt to capture the theoretical arguments and policy changes presented at the conference. The essays are divided into three sections, each of which approaches from a different angle the central question of whether liberalism has failed women. The first section aims to frame the discussion by outlining the theoretical arguments for the amendments or revisions implied by the proponents of the Parity Movement in Europe and for the concerns raised by critics. The second describes recent changes in party rules, European legal framework, and national constitutions, as well as the gains made by women in response to rule change. The third section provides American perspectives on the lessons that parity advocates might draw from affirmative action policies and speculations about how parity rules would work in the American context. The essays are drawn from top European and American scholars.
Contents
Theory Parity: The Woman Question Reconsidered 'For Universal Man and Woman'; F.Gaspard 'Sexed Politics'; J.Scott 'Against Constitutionalism, for Soft Solutions'; J.Mansbridge 'Quotas against the Liberal Tradition'; C.Offe Cases Agnes Hubert on the E.U. Jane Jenson on Canada and France Christiane Lemke on Germany Pippa Norris on the U.K. and the U.S. Hege Skjeie on Scandinavia Perspectives 'Endgame: Lessons from AA'; O.Patterson 'Against Impatience'; C.Maier 'Against Essentialism'; J.Klausen 'Legal Jeopardy'; J.Rosen 'Third Way and the Revival of Politics'; A.Coote
