One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? Women in the Two Main Political Parties in Wales

Gender Quotas in British Politics: Multiple Approaches and Methods in Feminist Research

“…Within the more specific literature on gender quotas, this 'institutional turn' is especially evident in two particular research areas: (1) work that examines the form and impact of quotas in the light of different electoral systems, and (2) studies that analyse the formal and informal discourses on equality that aid and constrain quota adoption and implementation. Scholars who address quotas and electoral systems generally focus on one of three themes: the unusual form that quotas take in Britain due to its singlemember district, first-past-the-post electoral system ; the differences across quota policies and their effects on the proportion of women in Westminster as compared with the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales Edwards and McAllister, 2002); and the challenges posed by developments in Scotland and Wales, and to a lesser extent in Westminster, to the conventional wisdom that few changes in women's representation are possible in single-member district, first-past-thepost electoral systems . To probe these dynamics, feminist researchers employ quantitative techniques like surveys to explore differences in the background and attitudinal profiles of party members, applicants, candidates, and MPs , as well as statistical analyses incorporating data on candidate selection, voting patterns, and possible electoral swings to generate predictions on the percentage of female and minority candidates likely to be elected across the major political parties .…”

“…Qualitative research, on the other hand, conducts interviews to track whether political issues and styles of debate have shifted following the sudden influx of women in the late 1990s ; questionnaires to reveal the constraints of motherhood on women's full participation in parliamentary life ; discourse analysis to examine how often and in what ways female MPs intervene in parliamentary debates on issues of direct concern to women ; and process-tracing to piece together the multiple trajectories of actors and events that meet to produce the passage of bills promoting women's interests . Studies of political parties and women's organizations, in contrast, focus more exclusively on women's descriptive representation by tracking debates inside the parties on quota adoption and implementation at distinct levels of government Bradbury et al, 2000;Edwards and McAllister, 2002;Squires, 2004;Lovenduski, 2005) and moments in time (Lovenduski and Randall, 1993;, as well as activities of women's groups to pressure parties to select more female candidates Dobrowolsky, 2002;. Given the small sample size, as well as the more contingent nature of these events, few analyses in this research area make use of surveys or statistical analysis.…”

“…Given the small sample size, as well as the more contingent nature of these events, few analyses in this research area make use of surveys or statistical analysis. Instead, they rely much more heavily on interviews to uncover elite motivations for pursuing quotas , as well as to chart the mobilization of women inside the parties in favour of these policies ; questionnaires to compare processes of quota implementation across parties and across constituencies, especially when they involve conflicts between local and national party organizations ; first-hand accounts to reveal the intra-party struggles that result in the adoption of quotas, despite most members' primary concern to pass other political reforms ; discourse analysis to gauge the impact of legal arguments on party decisions to adopt and implement quota policies ; and process-tracing to map the various changes inside the Labour Party that culminate in the adoption of all-women shortlists , as well as the impact of the Jepson decision and reform of the Sex Discrimination Act on subsequent party selection procedures Brown et al, 2002;Edwards and McAllister, 2002;.…”

A Comparative Analysis of Affirmative Action in the United Kingdom and United States

“…Evidence from both theoretical and research literature suggests a gap between written equality policies and actual practices within organizations (Bagilhole & Stephens, 1999;Baxter, 1997;Carter, 2000;Darr & Archibong, 2004;Dex & Purdam, 2005). Clearly, there remains a need for continuing assessment of the most appropriate way to tackle inequality and promote diversity at work and in the delivery of services cognizant of inbuilt structural and psychological disadvantages (Bagshaw, 2004;Bajawa & Woodhall, 2006;Edwards & McAllister, 2002;Stratigaki, 2005;Young, Mountford, & Skrla, 2006).…”

Perceptions of the Impact of Positive Action in EU and non-EU Countries

“…the delivery of services (Edwards and McAllister, 2002;Bagshaw, 2004;Stratigaki, 2005;Bajawa and Woodhall, 2006;Young, Mountford and Skrla, 2006). Woodhams and Danieli (2004) explain how the current UK approach to equality, at least in terms of legislation, attempts to ensure that people are treated equally or 'the same' (or no less equally) in spite of their differences.…”