Gender, and women’s political activism : insights from small states

Abstract

This article discusses the gender dynamics of women’s political activism from the vantage point of small states. While women tend to be globally underrepresented in politics and parliaments, small states have specificities which ultimately affect women’s political participation and presence. The undercurrents of small scale lead to limited anonymity in the societies of small states, which has a significant gender dimension. Small scale also causes greater resistance to cultural change, including progressive change towards gender equality and women’s political representation. Women therefore face greater odds to make inroads in the political sphere in small states due to the specifics of small scale.