CHOICE
connect
A division of the American Library Association
Editorial Offices: 575 Main Street, Suite 300, Middletown, CT 06457-3445
Phone: (860) 347-6933
Fax: (860) 704-0465
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Please do not link to this page.
Temple University Press
The following review appeared in the July 2016 issue of CHOICE. The review is for your internal use only. Please review our Permission and Reprints Guidelines or email permissions@ala-choice.org.
Social & Behavioral Sciences
Political Science - Political Theory
Using surveys, interviews, and observations of council meetings, Holman (Florida Atlantic University) analyzes whether gender matters in the policies local governments pursue. She finds that "women's issues"—such as education, social welfare, and violence against women—are more likely to be high on the public’s agenda when women lead cities, especially when female mayors are supported by high proportions of women on city councils. In contrast, men tend to focus on development and crime. Though the book presents a body of evidence suggesting that gender matters in urban politics, something is missing: data pointing to whether men who succeed women as mayors attempt to roll back the latter’s hard-won achievements. That would have offered some insight into whether progressive advancements can endure. Nevertheless, Holman offers a meaningful analysis of how gender impacts local policy.
--J. F. Kraus, Wagner College