Resumen de 'Boom and Bust' in Women's Representation: Lessons to be Learnt from a Decade of Devolution

Ruth Fox

• A commitment to equality was firmly established as a key principle when the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales were founded a decade ago. In the intervening years both have become international beacons of progress in establishing higher levels of representation for women in politics. But at the 2007 elections there was a decline in the number of women elected to both legislatures and there are fears that the situation will worsen at the 2011 elections. This article examines whether new measures may be needed to recommit to gender equality and asks challenging questions about how this might be done.