Federalism, feminism and multilevel governance / edited by Melissa Haussman, Marian Sawer, Jill Vickers.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [239]-259) and index.

Part I: Introduction: Political architecture and its gender impact, Marian Sawer and Jill Vickers; Federalism, feminism and multilevel governance; the elusive search for theory?, Gwendolyn Gray. Part II Older Federations: Australia, Canada, United States: Federalism, childcare and multilevel governance in Australia, Deborah Brennan; Navigating the shoals of Canadian federalism: childcare advocacy, Rianne Mahon and Cheryl Collier; Colonialism isn't the only answer: indigenous peoples and multilevel governance in Canada, Kiera L. Ladner; Federalism and feminism: the Canadian challenge for women's urban safety, Caroline Andrew; Federalism and LGBT rights in the USA and Canada: a comparative policy analysis, Miriam Smith; Caught in a bind: The US pro-choice movement and federalism, Melissa Haussman. Part III Europe: Germany, Russia, the UK: Multiple policy scales and the development of parental leave policy in Germany, Heather MacRae; Women, gender and federalism in Russia: a deafening silence, Andrea Chandler; Devolution and the multi-level politics of gender in the UK: the case of Scotland, Fiona Mackay. Part IV Newer Federations: India, Mexico, Nigeria: A fine balance? Multilevel governance and women's organising in India, Gopika Solanki; Gender, democracy and federalism in Mexico: implications for reproductive rights and social policy, Laura Macdonald and Lisa Mills; Transnational localities: federalism and the gendered politics of citizenship in central Mexico, Janna Ferguson; Federalism and gender politics in Nigeria, L. Amede Obiora and Sarah Toomey. Part V: Conclusion, Jill Vickers, Melissa Haussman and Marian Sawer.

Until recently, few gender scholars took notice of the impact of state architecture on women's representation, political opportunities, and policy achievements. Likewise scholars of federalism, devolution and multilevel governance have largely ignored their gender impact. For the first time, this book explores how women's politics is affected by and affects federalism, whether in Australia, Canada, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia or the US. Equally, it assesses the gender implications of devolution and multilevel governance in the European Union, including case studies of the UK and Germany. Globally, multilevel governance is providing new arenas for women's politics. For example, CEDAW (the UN Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) has led most governments to adopt gender-equality norms while other UN instruments have supported Aboriginal self-government. Gender scholars will find especially valuable what is revealed about the impact of political architecture on a broad range of policy issues, including gay marriage, reproductive rights and childcare. Federalism scholars will benefit from the book's wide range of cases, comparative themes and combination of gender and federalism perspectives. Written by leading experts, this book fills an important gap in both literatures.