Women's Representational Role in Australia and Canada: The Impact of Political Context

Abstract

This article compares the perceptions of federally elected women in Australia and Canada regarding the political representation of women. More specifically, it aims to understand to what extent political rules (notably the electoral system) affect how the links between the descriptive and substantive representation of women are perceived. Through an examination of the results of interviews done with 44 female members of the 35th Parliament of Canada (1993-97) and 45 female MPs and senators in the 39th Parliament of Australia (1998-2001), the analysis shows that the electoral system (notably proportional representation) can influence elected women's perceptions of their role in ensuring the political representation of women. That being said, other variables can also help explain these perceptions, such as the party system, the parliamentary cycle and the unicameral or bicameral nature of parliament.

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