
Glass Ceilings, Glass Cliffs, and Quicksands
Gendered Party Leadership in Parliamentary Systems
Cambridge University Press
Published on 19. June 2025
Book
Hardback
94 pages
978-1-009-53957-9 (ISBN)
Description
Using novel leadership data from eleven developed parliamentary democracies between 1980 and 2020, this Element asks how gender conditions party leaders' candidacy, selection, and survival. It examines the life cycle of party leadership careers of 276 leaders with a focus on three categories of variables: performance indicators, (s)election details, and inclusiveness of political culture. It tests the existing theories of glass ceilings and glass cliffs on how certain conditions make it more likely that women run for and are selected as party leaders. The Element also offers an original quicksand theory on leaders' survival in office that, for women, leadership is akin to being caught in quicksand. Several factors agitate the quicksand and make them sink faster. The authors data shows support for the glass ceiling and quicksand theories. Yet, they find mixed support for the glass-cliff theory. The Element offers unique insights into women's experience with party leadership.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
300 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-53957-9 (9781009539579)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Andrea S. Aldrich | Zeynep Somer-Topcu
Glass Ceilings, Glass Cliffs, and Quicksands
Gendered Party Leadership in Parliamentary Systems
Book
06/2025
Cambridge University Press
€26.80
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
Content
1. Introduction; 2. The party leaders dataset; 3. Candidacy and selection of women party leaders; 4. Tenure of women party leaders; 5. Conclusion; References.