A Review of Women in Politcs
by Sarah Hall Within academia, knowledge is produced and disseminated through academic journals. The journal Women and Politics is generally oriented to research, studies, and editorials involved with politics and education in the United States and Europe. The audience is primarily academic; educators in the fields of political science, women’s studies, and sociology would be most interested. The journal focuses on empirical studies more than on testimonial opinions. In 1998, of the 17 articles published, 11 conducted studies resulting in statistical data.
Overall, the articles in the journal are concerned with structural barriers to women’s advancement. One investigates political and socioeconomic factors associated with the employment of women and African Americans in higher education. Another article examines the role of gender in open seat election for the U.S House of Representatives. The editorial written by Iva Deutchman addresses third wave feminists who want to deny the existence of structural barriers to women’s advancement. While the article specifically addresses the issues of acquaintance rape and sexual harassment, the author is protesting what she identifies as the tendency of young feminists to ignore the reality of women as victims.
An emphasis on activism is present throughout the journal. It often focuses on activist women, whether they are politicians in the United States or women indigenous to New Mexico involved in a grass roots movement that is working to achieve environmental justice. The journal also looks at the effects of women’s advances and political empowerment. One article showed a link between female representatives and the increased political activities of their constituents.
The emphasis on activism situates Women and Politics within second wave feminism. The concerns of the articles in the journal are similar to the problems originally raised in the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, one article, written by a sociology ‘professor, discussed the experiences of her students in the class ‘Feminist Thought.’ The class was organized as a conversation among the students, the professor, and prominent feminists, similar to consciousness raising exercises of the second wave. Interestingly, the class tired of talking about problems rather than acting on them, but the overall message of the class was that theorizing is a political act. The journal Women and Politics is an informational tool designed to promote understanding of the structural make-up of society.