ABSTRACT
As early as the 1950s, the newly emerging political science was investigating its own version of the woman question: why did women participate less than men? Participation was measured according to certain criteria, commonly arranged on an ascending scale of time and effort. Activities which were included were political interest (defined as discussing politics with friends, following politics in the media etc.), voting, membership of a political party, activism within the party, standing for election, and attaining political office. In France, however, the groundbreaking studies by Duverger (1955), and Dogan and Narbonne (1955) stand out as exceptions rather than the beginning of a trend. Andrée Michel and Geneviève Texier’s (1964) detailed critical rereading of the relation between women and politics was the only other significant contribution to this area of research until the much later work of Mariette Sineau and Janine MossuzLavau. However, while individual academics specialising in this area were few and far between, it is a subject which has periodically roused media interest and, at times, provoked detailed analyses in serious newspapers. These provide valuable evidence of the changing nature of the debate around women’s political participation and will be examined here along with the academic studies mentioned above.
