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Critical Mass Theory and Women's Political Representation

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  • Sarah Childs
  • Mona Lena Krook

Abstract

In studies of women's legislative behaviour, the concept of critical mass is widely used and, more recently, criticised as a tool for understanding the relationship between the percentage of female legislators and the passage of legislation beneficial to women as a group. In this research note, we revisit classic contributions by Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Drude Dahlerup and outline and discuss their assumptions regarding anticipated connections between numbers and outcomes. We find that later gender and politics scholars have often misconstrued their work, with crucial implications for subsequent research on relations between the descriptive and substantive representation of women. We argue that clarifying the theoretical origins of the critical mass concept is crucial for forging a more coherent and cumulative research agenda on women's political representation.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Childs & Mona Lena Krook, 2008. "Critical Mass Theory and Women's Political Representation," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56(3), pages 725-736, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:56:y:2008:i:3:p:725-736
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00712.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cowley, Philip & Childs, Sarah, 2003. "Too Spineless to Rebel? New Labour's Women MPs," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 33(3), pages 345-365, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ioannis Tampakoudis & Andreas Andrikopoulos & Michail Nerantzidis & Nikolaos Kiosses, 2022. "Does boardroom gender diversity affect shareholder wealth? Evidence from bank mergers and acquisitions," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(3), pages 3315-3344, July.
    2. Giuliana Birindelli & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Marco Savioli, 2019. "The impact of women leaders on environmental performance: Evidence on gender diversity in banks," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1485-1499, November.
    3. Bührer, Susanne & Wroblewski, Angela, 2019. "The practice and perceptions of RRI—A gender perspective," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Claire Annesley & Francesca Gains, 2010. "The Core Executive: Gender, Power and Change," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58(5), pages 909-929, December.

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