Do Political Women Represent Women? Views of Discrimination and Representation Among Female and Male Mayors in Québec

International Review of Women and Leadership, 2, 1, 1996: 34-46.

ABSTRACT
The aim of this article was to investigate how Québec female and male mayors perceive the role of women in politics. The basic hypothesis was that gender does influence opinions about the experience of women in local politics. As predicted, female mayors are more likely than their male colleagues to support a feminist point of view. This general conclusion should be qualified, however, since women and men are not systematically polarised on each of the topics, and female mayors differ among themselves.

INTRODUCTION
It has been suggested that municipal politics facilitate the political participation of women. In effect, being locally-based, this level of government tends to favour the harmonisation of public and private obligations, notably by reducing distances between home and work and absences from the family (Lovenduski, 1986, p215). Moreover, questions of interest for municipal government may be more compatible with what have been traditionally defined as feminine roles, responsibilities, and activities (Andrew, 1984, 1991). Finally, municipal office, being a less competitive and a less desirable level of power for men, should be more winnable for women (Trimble, 1995; Vickers, 1978).

There is, however, no statistical evidence to support the hypothesis that municipal politics encourages the political involvement of women.

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This research, subsidised by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada, is being done in collaboration with Évelyne Tardy (Département de science politique, Université du Québec à Montréal) and Ginette Gegault (École des sciences de la gestion, Université du Québec à Montréal). I acknowledge the helpful comments of Marian Sawer, as well as those of the anonymous reviewers. My thanks also go to Gwen Gray. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 6th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women, Adelaide, Australia, 1996.