ABSTRACT
Data from the survey on councillors from the second tier of local government enables us to explore the numbers, attributes and visions of female council representatives, thereby adding to the still limited body of research on gender and local government. This chapter analyses the patterns of representation of women in local government. It explores whether or not and for what type of research, local assemblies are promising institutional sites for testing theories on women's political representation. The chapter discusses potential avenues for a future research agenda. It focuses on the composition of councils at the second tier of local government, the personal characteristics of female councilors, and their distinctive attitudes and values. The chapter also explores whether the main hypotheses and findings on women's political representation can be confirmed for second-tier local assemblies as well.
