A universal pattern of gender imbalance exists in the recruitment of women to elite political positions. Yet the reasons for this imbalance have not been fully explored.

Politics, Feminism and the Reformation of Gender considers the participation and representation of women in politics, using empirical data drawn from 300 in-depth interviews. Research carried out in Scotland is used as a basis for comparison with the more extensive research available in American literature. The experience of women in the former Soviet Union and in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Germany is also analyzed.

Jennifer Chapman combines empirical and theoretical work to argue that the distinct attributes of women do not constitute advantages in terms of recruitment in a male-dominated political world. She explores the extent to which the orientation of women to politics differs from that of men, and discusses the effects of feminism and of recent changes in women's social conditions on the resources, motivations and prospects of young women now entering the political realm.