Suffrage Now! Gender and Informal Rules, Practices and Norms in Nordic Parliaments

For many centuries, parliamentary politics was an entirely male business, created by men to suit men. While the formal exclusion of women indeed was an obvious manifestation of politics as a masculine domain, it was far from the only obstacle that women in politics encountered. A culture of masculinity can be noted in sexist practices, in working hours that are not compatible with family responsibility, and even in the very building and infrastructure of parliament which was created to suit the needs of men. In other words, informal rules, practices and norms in politics have been gendered in ways that historically have, and still continue to hamper women’s political participation and obstructed women in their political work. This paper will explore women’s suffrage in a historical and contemporary political science perspective, addressing challenges for women’s participation and representation in politics empirically and theoretically. While the paper takes Sweden and the other Nordic countries as its point of departure, it also contributes to raise questions of relevance beyond that context. The historical perspective provides new empirical knowledge of one of our times’ most important gender equality reforms, and it also offers a means to study masculine privilege, resistance and obstacles to women’s political participation in a time when the masculine political culture was outspoken and therefore more clearly manifested. These insights are important to fully understand gender equality in contemporary politics—the remaining inequalities as well as the progress. The paper will build on the historical findings and address the progress made in regard to a more gender equal political participation and culture today, as well as the remaining restrictions and obstacles, including inhibitive gender stereotypes and gender-based violence and harassment. We will argue that many formal rights are in place, but informal rules, practices, and norms continue to hindering women in political life, and in particular certain groups of women. The paper is a synopsis of a forthcoming book