Introduction

Almost 100 years after the arrival of women in the masculine domain of parliament they began breaking the silence about sexual harassment and bullying they experienced. This chapter introduces concepts relating to this experience, including toxic parliaments, sexual and sex-based harassment and bullying, as well as the broader concept of violence against women in politics and its disproportionate impact on those from minority backgrounds. Characteristics particularly associated with Westminster parliaments such as adversarialism and conventions of parliamentary privilege are briefly introduced, along with the distinctive nature of the parliamentary workforce. Feminist institutionalism provides the theoretical framework for the overall argument—that in Australia parliamentary reform took longer than in other Westminster parliaments but that a combination of timing and local mobilisation created a critical juncture and powerful momentum. The chapter ends with an overview of the rest of the book.