ABSTRACT
In North America, as in many other regions included in this volume, women have made great strides in attaining cabinet positions, in particular since the 1990s. Still, overall, women continue to comprise a minority of executive officials, serve at lower cabinet ranks, and disproportionately in positions that are considered stereotypically female. There is some evidence that women cabinet ministers substantively represent women's interests, though further research is required before this can be confirmed. At the highest levels of power, Canada has been led by a female prime minister briefly and only once (Kim Campbell) and, despite Hillary Clinton's historic candidacy, the United States (US) has a presidential glass ceiling still firmly intact. Overall, findings suggest that as far as Canada and the United States are concerned, socioeconomic factors do not work against women's promotion to executive positions, though gender stereotypes continue to interact with political institutions and processes to significantly hinder women's advancement.
