ABSTRACT
There has been little comparative work published on local government, and in particular on councillors, let alone when combined with analysis on the basis of gender or even party. Where there has been comparison it has tended to focus on the structure and functions of local government, with some attention paid to process (for example, Batley and Stoker, 1991; Chandler, 1993). There is of course, a sizeable literature on women in politics, but for many countries much of this focuses upon politics at the national level and in particular on the proportion of women in national legislatures (or other national institutions). This should not be dismissed, since there are lessons that can be learned and perhaps transferred, albeit with an awareness that there may be different circumstances and that conclusions may not always be appropriate to the local level. For example, in many countries there are significant differences in women’s participation and experiences at national and local levels. Existing research can, however, be helpful as it is important to be aware of both different ways of approaching representation of women and even the notion of careers, as well as bringing an appreciation of the different ways in which countries operate. For example, one way in which women’s contribution to legislation in Australia and the United States has been measured is in terms of the number of bills they introduce and the way in which they vote on issues (Considine and Deutchman, 1994); in Australia the influence of women has been measured by their role in the legislative process, as Cabinet members or through their work on parliamentary or party committees (Broughton and Zetlin, 1996, p. 51). These may certainly be valid approaches to measuring influence, although the extent to which they are sufficient even to those countries may be questioned, let alone their transferability to other states.
