Book Review: Britain and Ireland: Sex, Gender and the Conservative Party: From Iron Lady to Kitten Heels
| Author | Elizabeth McEnhill |
| Date | 01 May 2013 |
| Published date | 01 May 2013 |
| DOI | 10.1111/1478-9302.12016_93 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
285
The approach taken in Accounting for Ministers is not
illustrate the centrality of feminisation to many of
one that all students of Britain’s core executive will
Cameron’s major reforms, including the parliamentary
appreciate. The presence of ‘hazard model’ equations
candidate selection process and the formation of more
may dissuade some (wrongly, not rightly), and the reli-
inclusive policy. The impression of the extent of femi-
ance on resignation calls as a measure of ministerial
nisation is mixed. As a direct result of reforms, there
performance is open to question. Indeed, the principal–
are more female Conservative MPs, and the party in
agent framework sometimes leads the book to adopt an
2005–10
was ‘much
more
competitive
on
the
excessively prime ministerial point of view. The idea
women’s terrain’ (p. 15) in terms of policy. Nonethe-
that the tenure of ministerial spells ‘approaches opti-
less, problems with selection remain, while the Con-
mality’ (pp. 85–6) may be true for a prime minister
servatives’ liberally feminist emphasis on ‘choice’ for
seeking to pursue his or her preferences, but it may not
women may come to look increasingly hollow oper-
be true for the civil servants who frequently have to
ating in tandem with other policies, notably if budget
adapt to new ministerial masters.
cuts that disproportionately affect women result in
Yet the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The
restricted choice in practice (p. 234). As the authors
book’s logic is impeccable, and the analysis is very
recognise and the varied and sometimes hostile
easy to follow. More importantly, the book offers a
responses from some of the book’s focus group data
number of real insights into the dynamics of ministe-
illustrate, feminisation remains very much a work in
rial survival and...
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