Cabinets, Ministers, and Gender

Cabinets, Ministers, and Gender explains how cabinets are constructed in democracies, providing detailed information about the formal and informal rules that shape the decisions of presidents and prime ministers in selecting cabinet ministers, and the eligibility and qualification standards for those who aspire to cabinet positions. The book shows how the decisions of selectors and the process of cabinet formation create different opportunities for men and women to be selected, explaining why some democracies have appointed more women to cabinet than others by developing the concept of the concrete floor--the minimum number of women included in cabinet to ensure its legitimacy.