Kvinnliga politiska ledare - en tvåfallsstudie av det ovanliga ledarskapet

Sammanfattning: This essay examines female representation in political leader positions. The study is contucted via a two case study of two autobiographies written by women - Gro Harlem Brundtland and Margaret Thatcher - who have served as chiefs of government. This case study is analysed through a theory which tries to explain the reasons behind the low representation of female political leadership. In this way the ambition has been to extract how the two women in the case study overcame the reasons that usually shuts women out of obtaining political leadership. To compliment the results, larger studies on the area are presented. The study suggests that important factors could be growing up in a supportive family with a father committed to politics, a marriage that permits the woman to step away from the traditional female role as a mother and a caretaker to be able to put her time outside the home. Indeed the historically role that the woman has had seem to limit the actions of a woman today still. Being able to step out of one’s gender role seems to be a key to obtain political leadership as a woman.