Female Political Career Patterns & Leadership Disabilities in Britain: The Crucial Role of Gatekeepers in Regulating Entry to the Political Elite

Author:
  • JRJorgen Rasmussen
    Jorgen Rasmussen
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Abstract
Unlike working-class men had done earlier in Britain, women, when they were enfranchised, did not establish a party to represent their special interests and provide them with a means of participating in the national policy process. Thus they allowed the existing "gatekeepers" to regulate their entry into the political elite. The result of this crucial strategic decision has been to impose severe disabilities upon the political careers of British women ever since. Although the Prime Minister now is a woman, women as a group have made only limited gains in attempting to enter the political elite.