Rethinking Right-Wing Women: Gender and the Conservative Party, 1880s to the Present

(Paperback)

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Rethinking Right-Wing Women explores the institutional structures for and the representations, mobilisation, and the political careers of women in the British Conservative Party since the late 19th century. From the Primrose League (est.1883) to Women2Win (est.2005), the party has exploited women's political commitment and their social power from the grass-roots to the heights of the establishment. Yet, although it is the party that extended the equal franchise, had the first woman MP to sit Parliament, and produced the first two women Prime Ministers, the UK Conservative Party has developed political roles for women that jar with feminist and progressive agendas. Conservative women have tended to be more concerned about the fulfilment of women's duties than the realisation of women's rights. This book tackles the ambivalences between women's politicisation and women's emancipation in the history of Britain's most electorally successful and hegemonic political party.

Reviews

'The ability of this volume to cover the vast span of time with depth and detail makes it a vital addition for anyone trying to understand the Conservative Party and the women within it. This edited volume gives readers insight into the right-wing women often ignored given the growing connection of women with left-leaning parties. It is particularly timely given the rise in right-wing politics globally. The volume has a little bit for everyone, whether interested in specific Conservative women, the history and nature of the party, or how it has adapted to changing cultural times.'
Journal of Women, Politics & Policy

Author Bio

Clarisse Berthezene is Lecturer at the University of Paris Diderot
Julie V. Gottlieb is Reader in Modern History at the University of Sheffield