Various authors have provided various views on the role of women in politics. This paper compares and contrasts three articles that talk about women participation in political leadership. The comparison is based on methodology, conclusions, theory, and gaps. The paper also offers ideas for future research based on each article.
- Martin, E. And Pyle, B. (2011). “Making a Difference: Women in the Judiciary”, In Whitaker, L.D. (2011). Women in Politics: Outsiders or Insiders? Boston: Longman.
- Summary
This article explains the changing numbers of women judges in the judiciary, and the role they play in the judicial system. The number of women judges increased significantly since 1980s although it has not reached that of men in the judicial system. The article also explained the role of women in the judiciary, and the voice of women in decision making.
- Methodology
The study used case studies and theory development to explain the role of women in the judiciary. The cases decided by women in the past including the case of Savana Redding who was searched for drugs by a male principle. The decisions made by female judges in such cases were analysed to determine the role of women in judiciary. Models and theories were also used to analyse the role of women in such cases.
- Conclusion
The author concludes that women judges have limited impact in the judiciary in terms of case decisions, but they influence the legal system individually.
- Theory
The theory behind this article is voice theory which is used to explain the voice of women in decision making of the judiciary. Women speak with a different voice, which causes a difference in the decision making of men and women.
- What the authors missed
The authors failed to explain the influence of culture in the judicial decision making. For example, culture on role of women could cause the difference between women and men in decision making.
- Ideas for Future Studies
Future studies should focus on cultural roles of men and women in the context of judicial decision making. They should be able to explain whether men are culturally superior to women and their decisions have greater weight in the court as well as in the society.
- Szmer, J.J., Sarver, T.A., and Kaheny, E.B. (2010). Have We Come a Long Way, Baby? The Influence of Attorney Gender on Supreme Court Decision Making. Politics and Gender, 6, 1-36.
- Summary
This article examines the impact of gender on decision making of appellate courts. It is similar to Martin and Pyle (2011) in one way – they both agree that the number of women in the judiciary has increased over time. The article provides a background of women’s role and history as justices, influence of attorneys on decisions of the Supreme Court. The article also explains justice ideology as a mitigation of sex’s influence on decision making in court.
- Methodology
The article utilizes cases that have been orally argued in U.S. Supreme Court between 1993 and 2001. This data was obtained from The U.S. Supreme Court Database. Therefore, the article is similar to that of Martin and Pyle (2011) because they both use past decided cases as basis for analysis.
- Conclusion
The sex of an attorney does not influence the Supreme Court decisions. However, the oral arguments of justices influence the receptive perceptions of justices individually. This finding is also similar to Martin and Pyle (2011) because they both think gender in the judiciary influence individuals within the legal system.
- Theory
The article uses gender schema theory which shows that justices use cognitive structure to determine attorney’s credibility in the court judicial process.
- What the authors missed
The authors did not show how the arguments of the attorney contributes to final decisions of the justices. The authors only state that the gender of the attorney does not influence the decisions, but how do their arguments influence the decisions.
- Future research
Future research should gather data of attorney’s arguments alongside their gender and the court’s decision making outcome. This will determine whether male or female attorneys are strong in their arguments to influence the court’s decision.
Williams, M.S. and Thames, F.C. (2008). Women’s Representation on High Courts in Advanced Industrialized Countries. Politics and Gender, 4, 451 – 471.
- Summary
This article explains women representations in judicial systems from a cross-national context. The article starts with introduction which explains background of women participation in political leadership. The study also explains that courts have varying characteristics which determine role of women, and women’s participation in high courts has increased significantly. The structural factors of courts and judicial selection process of different countries affect the participation of women in the judicial system. This is different from the other two articles because it examines women’s participation across countries.
- Methodology
Primary method is used to collect data set of women who participated in courts within various member countries of OECD between 2006 and 2007.
- Conclusion
Women participation in courts varied in different countries due to differences in courts’ prestige, selection methods, and importance of women’s participation in specific countries. This shows that each country has its own unique level of women participation in court depending structural factors and court selection countries.
- Theory
The theory of women representation is used, and it shows that factors in the demand side relate to country or institution based characteristics, while the demand side relates to candidate’s characteristics.
- What the Authors Missed
The authors did not discuss how country or institution-specific factors can be improved to increase women participation.
- Future Research
Future research should conduct thorough research to find out the possible ways that country-specific factors can be addressed to improve the participation of women in public and court leadership.
References List
Martin, E. And Pyle, B. (2011). “Making a Difference: Women in the Judiciary”, In Whitaker, L.D. (2011). Women in Politics: Outsiders or Insiders? Boston: Longman.
Szmer, J.J., Sarver, T.A., and Kaheny, E.B. (2010). Have We Come a Long Way, Baby? The Influence of Attorney Gender on Supreme Court Decision Making. Politics and Gender, 6, 1-36.
Williams, M.S. and Thames, F.C. (2008). Women’s Representation on High Courts in Advanced Industrialized Countries. Politics and Gender, 4, 451 – 471.
