Constitutions and Gender

The idea that constitutions are gendered is not new, but its recognition is the product of a revolution in thinking that began in the last decades of the twentieth century. As a field, it is attracting scholarly attention and influencing practice around the world. This timely Handbook features contributions from leading pioneers and younger scholars, applying a gendered lens to constitution-making and design, constitutional practice and citizenship, and constitutional challenges to gender equality rights and values. Offering a cutting-edge perspective on the constitutional text and record of multiple jurisdictions, from long-established to newly emerging democracies, Constitutions and Gender portrays a profound shift in our understanding of what constitutions stand for and what they do. Its central insight is that democratic constitutions must serve the needs and aspirations of all the people, and constitutional legitimacy requires opportunities for participation in both the fashioning and functioning of a country’s constitution. This challenging assessment is of relevance to scholars and practitioners of law and politics, and gender and feminism, as well as practitioners and advisors involved in constitution-making.

Edited by Helen Irving, Professor of Law, Sydney Law School, The University of Sydney, Australia