Introduction: A Historical and Institutional Perspective on Women’s Political Inclusion

The introduction positions the book in relation to previous research on women’s suffrage and the continued struggle for women’s political inclusion, primarily with respect to the literature on the Nordic countries but also in a broader perspective. It lays out the main argument of the book: the combination of historical analyses and contemporary political science offers possibilities to gain new insights into the topic of women’s political inclusion. It is argued that research on the conditions for feminist institutional change may be advanced by a specific focus on the gendered institutional constraints and the feminist strategies for institutional change. The introduction also presents the feminist institutionalist approach as well as the historical awareness perspective, which both serve as key starting points for the book. It ends with a presentation of the empirical chapters, which comprise a collection of scholarly pieces by historians and political scientists.