Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2015 - REFERENCE — Social & Behavioral Sciences — Women's & Gender Studies

This is the essential reference on women in power, covering a half-century of women at the political helm of democracies as both presidents and prime ministers.  A self-described "third-generation feminist," Skard brings solid credentials to this mammoth project: she is or has been a scholar, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, UNESCO director for the status of women, and a minister in Norway's cabinet.  Skard asks excellent analytic questions about why and how women ascended to top leadership positions and what effect their leadership has on societies.  She organizes the bulk of the book according to world region, such as South and East Asia, Western industrial states, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.  The volume ends with summary chapters on trends toward "women-friendly democracy" and discussion of the distance to go to achieve gender parity.  Although there are books available on quota systems to bring women into politics, such as Mona Lena Krook's Quotas for Women in Politics (CH, Jan'10, 47-2820), or on world regions, such as the now-dated Unfinished Democracy(1985), it is perhaps Michael Genovese and Janie Steckenrider'sWomen as Political Leaders (CH, Nov'13, 51-1726) that begins to approach Skard's 585-page tome. This book belongs in the reference section of all research libraries.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.