Gendered (non)participants?  What constructions of citizenship tell us about democratic governance in the twenty-first century

Harrison, Lisa; Munn, Jamie

Abstract

A review of political regimes at the end of the twentieth century is undoubtedly marked by many notable and substantive changes, in which the model of 'liberal democracy' became the norm. Yet, what also emerged was an evident gap between the eligibility and the willingness or interest to participate in the political sphere. Claims of a 'participation crisis' mushroomed in numerous circles and many states, and political regimes, in turn, flagged up their concern with 'citizenship' as both an entitlement and a responsibility. To this end, we engage with interesting debates on citizenship as it relates to individuals and groups. What we argue here is that dialogues about empowerment and participation (and importantly non-participation) are all too often gender-blind.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Aug 14, 2007
• Journal: Parliamentary Affairs
• Print ISSN: 0031-2290
• Electronic ISSN: 1460-2482
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 60
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 426-436
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsm016
• Keywords: Gendered (non)participants, constructions of citizenship, democratic governance, twenty-first century
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1026499
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsm016
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This article is part of an externally refereed symposium on Gender, Citizenship and Participation, based on an ESRC seminar series, organised by Harrison as principal grant holder (RES-451-26-0133)