ABSTRACT
In examining the profile of the Association of Social Democratic Women, this chapter seeks to evaluate its standing within the party and to evaluate its record in meeting stated objectives. Ever since the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was founded, women have demanded more political, economic, and social equality. After World War II, the SPD executive again created a central women's bureau and women formed local groups within the party. The Association of Social Democratic Women (ASF) has tried to recruit more women into the party to narrow the gap between male and female membership. The ASF has waged an uphill battle to gain its objectives within the SPD, an important goal being to secure adequate representation in the party's policy-advisory and policymaking bodies. The scarcity of women in party positions before the establishment of the quota system in 1988 was matched by their poor representation in the legislative and executive branches of the government.
