ABSTRACT
Chapter 5, “Political Parties: Bringing Women into the Electoral Arena,” centers on the rise of women as important players and leaders in the national parties’ organizations, a significant but often neglected means of political influence for women. In seeking a more equitable place in the public realm, women’s rights activists have challenged the parties to advance women in their organizations, recruit them for elected positions and provide them with resources as political candidates in winnable elections, and speak to issues of particular concern to women. From one lens, this chapter chronicles the long historical efforts of women to gain leadership positions within the various party organizational entities. Then it focuses on party efforts to elect women to national office and public relation efforts to appear as champions of women. Contemporary party organizations now see it to their advantage to promote women candidates. Also significant in this realm of politics has been women’s organizational activism outside the parties to pressure them to advance women and to adopt policies reflective of women’s interests variously conceptualized. This chapter highlights this activism.
