WOMEN IN POLITICS: BETWEEN GENDER STEREOTYPES AND AN INCREASING PARTICIPATION. AN OVERVIEW OF A SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

In any society, the participation of women in political life is essential for the achievement of these objectives, and political parties are among the most important institutions that can favour such participation. Therefore, political parties are a determining factor for the participation of women in this political sphere, since, in most countries, they are responsible for the recruitment and selection of candidates and decide on the issues that are placed on the political agenda. How women are included in political parties and how political parties encourage women's involvement are determinants of women's participation in political life. This article presents the results of an empirical research, on an exploratory group of 257 people, graduates of secondary and higher education, women and men, living in both urban and rural areas. Our research aimed to test three hypotheses related to women's participation in political life, the gender stereotypes promoted in the mass media, as well as the main obstacles that prevent women from being much more active in the political field, in Romanian society.