Offers a unique assessment of the impact of women's movements on public policy.

1. Introduction; 2. Gendering political representation: debates and controversies in Austria Regina Köpl; 3. The Belgian paradox: inclusion and exclusion of gender issues Petra Meier; 4. A politics for presence. State feminism, women's movements and political representation in Finland Anne Maria Holli and Johanna Kantola; 5. Gendering the Republican system: debates on women's political representation in France Claudie Baudino; 6. WPAs and political representation in Germany Lynn Kamenitsa and Brigitte Geissel; 7. Gendering the debate on political representation in Italy: a difficult challenge Marila Guadagnini; 8. High tides in a low country gendering political representation in the Netherlands Jantine Oldersma; 9. The women's movement, gender equality agencies, and central-state debates on political representation in Spain (1983-2003) Celia Valiente; 10. Party feminism, state feminism and women's representation in Sweden Diane Sainsbury; 11. Party government and women's representation debates: the UK Joni Lovenduski; 12. Women's policy agencies, the women's movement, and representation in the US Janine A. Parry; 13. Conclusions: state feminism and political representation; Appendix 1. Tables of women's representation in eleven countries; Appendix 2. The RNGS model.