Increasing women’s descriptive representation in national parliaments: the involvement and impact of gender and politics scholars

Since the 1980s, gender and politics scholarship has prospered alongside increases in women’s descriptive representation. If a ‘feminist imperative’ drives us to seek to transform as well as study politics, the potential impact of research and our role as change actors has been little studied. We ask: (1) what effects feminist scholars sought to have; (2) upon whom; (3) when; and (4) through what channels. With two cases – Nordic countries and the UK – we explore the opportunities and dilemmas faced in seeking to enhance descriptive representation and aim to contribute to the development of feminist theories of political change.