Rai, Shirin and Hoskyns, Catherine (1998) Gender, class and representation - India and the European Union. In: Annual Conference of the Political-Studies-Association-of-the-UK, Glasgow, UK, 10-12 Apr 1996. Published in: European Journal of Women's Studies, Vol.5 (No.3-4). pp. 345-365.

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Abstract

This article examines the relationship between political representation and the two social and conceptual categories, gender and class. It uses empirical evidence drawn from political developments in India and the countries of the EU. The central argument of the article is that the formal recognition of women, as evidenced by their greater representation in politics, too often proves to be at the expense of a more searching engagement with and examination of the structural factors that generate inequality and lead to discrimination against women and other social groups. Ln short, the politics of gender identity have become cut off from class politics. This can be demonstrated in political bodies as dissimilar as the Indian Lok Sabha and the European Parliament. The reasons for this separation are attributed partly to the way in which existing political institutions (notably political parties) have acted to neutralize the class aspect in feminism and partly to the demise of class politics more generally. A politics of presence that increases the representation of women according to criteria that reflect social differences among women is proposed, together with a stronger policy of alliances to do justice to the diversity and complexity of women's issues.

Item Type:	Conference Item (Paper)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation
Journal or Publication Title:	European Journal of Women's Studies
Publisher:	Sage Publications Ltd.
ISSN:	1350-5068
Date:	November 1998
Volume:	Vol.5
Number:	No.3-4
Number of Pages:	22
Page Range:	pp. 345-365
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Conference Paper Type:	Paper
Title of Event:	Annual Conference of the Political-Studies-Association-of-the-UK
Type of Event:	Conference
Location of Event:	Glasgow, UK
Date(s) of Event:	10-12 Apr 1996
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/14983

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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