ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION -- THE POLITICS OF GENDER REPRESENTATION -- THE POLICY OF GENDER REPRESENTATION -- POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION -- THE CASE OF THE NETHERLANDS -- PLAN OF THE BOOK -- PART I: DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE -- CHAPTER 2 POLITICAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN FIFTEEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES -- WOMEN IN POLITICS IN THE 15 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES -- Scandinavian Countries -- Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain -- France, Belgium and Luxembourg -- Britain and Ireland -- Germany and Austria -- EUROPEAN UNION -- EVALUATING EUROPE -- CHAPTER 3 AN EXPLANATORY FRAMEWORK FOR WOMEN'S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION -- VOTING -- RECRUITMENT -- Social and Cultural Climate -- Gender Division of Labour and Gender Equality -- Civil Society and Corporatism -- Structural Factors -- Situational Factors -- Psychological Factors -- SELECTION -- Electoral System -- Selection Process -- Selection Criteria -- Affirmative Action -- Women's Factions -- Party System/Party Competition -- Political and Civic Expertise -- Quality of Life -- ELECTION -- Preferential Voting and Electoral Attractiveness -- REPRESENTATION -- Culture of Politics -- CONCLUSION -- PART II: THE CASE OF THE NETHERLANDS -- CHAPTER 4 THE NETHERLANDS: POLITICAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN -- 'NO GENDER BARRIER AT THE POLLING BOOTH' -- POLITICAL SYSTEM -- ELECTORAL SYSTEM -- PARTY SYSTEM -- Pillarisation -- PARTIES' ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE INTEGRATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICS -- Women's Suffrage -- After 1919: the Confessional Parties -- After 1919: the Liberal and Socialist Parties -- After 1945 -- WOMEN'S PARTIES -- CONCLUSION -- CHAPTER 5 FROM TOKEN TO PLAYER -- 1917-1946: PIONEERS -- 1946-1975: TOKENS OR GROUP REPRESENTATIVES -- 1975-1989: DEFENDERS OF WOMEN'S INTERESTS -- 1990S: PLAYERS -- LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL -- EUROPEAN LEVEL -- CONCLUSION.

CHAPTER 6 EXPLAINING THE CHANGE IN ATTITUDE -- SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POSITION OF WOMEN -- Employment and Education -- Equality Policies -- WOMEN'S ORGANISATIONS -- POLITICAL PARTIES -- Party Membership -- Women's Factions -- Selection Criteria -- Affirmative Action Plans by Parties -- GOVERNMENT -- CONCLUSION -- CHAPTER 7 EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN THE 21ST CENTURY: LONG-LASTING DEVELOPMENT OR SHORT-TERM UPHEAVAL? -- THE 2002 AND 2003 ELECTIONS -- Parliamentary Elections -- Local and Provincial Elections -- THE PRIME MOVERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY -- Women's Movement -- Political Parties -- Government -- Combining Work and Care -- Empowerment -- Gender Mainstreaming and Empowerment -- CONCLUSION -- PART III: DEBATES AND DEVELOPMENTS IN EUROPE -- CHAPTER 8 PARTY QUOTAS, PARITY AND 'PANDA' LAWS -- VOLUNTARY QUOTAS INTRODUCED BY PARTIES -- QUOTA LEGISLATION -- FRANCE -- Arguments in Favour of Legally Imposed Quotas -- Arguments against Legally Imposed Quotas -- From Theoretical Concept into Law of the Land -- BELGIUM -- GREECE -- ITALY -- PORTUGAL -- DISCUSSION -- CHAPTER 9 WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY: THE CRISIS OF POLITICS -- THE CRISIS OF PARTY POLITICS -- A REACTION: POLITICAL REFORM -- GENDER AND POLITICAL REFORM -- A NEW INSTITUTIONAL REGIME FOR SELECTING MEPS -- CONCLUSION -- CHAPTER 10 THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN GENDER DEMOCRACY -- RESULTS OF 30 YEARS' STRUGGLE FOR REPRESENTATION -- The 15 European Countries -- The Dutch Case -- An Enlarged Europe -- EXPLAINING THE SUCCESS -- Voting -- Recruitment -- Selection -- Election -- Representation -- DANGERS THAT LIE IN WAIT -- TIME FOR NEW POLITICS -- New Politics and Gender -- GENDER DEMOCRACY AS A CONDITION OF GOOD EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE -- APPENDIX ABBREVIATIONS OF POLITICAL PARTIES -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX.