POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN

The contemporary era is the era of democracy. The end of World War II changed the nature of societies and polities. The advent of behaviouralism, on the one hand, and the initiation of the cold war on the other, represented a transformation in politics both internal as well as external. Democracy became the tool to test the legitimacy of governments. Hence, interdisciplinary studies on political participation assumed significance. Participation of all the stakeholders within the polity became important. The issue of the challenges and dynamics of women's political participation became important. The problem of mindsets and stereotypes proved to be hindrances to women's participation. The individual, social and political transformation is considered a way out of this. Women's participation in American politics is studied since America represents the liberal democratic model of the developed world. An attempt to understand whether there is a universality as far as women's issues are concerned is made. The conclusion drawn is that though there is an upward trend of women's participation, there is still a long way to go.