Written by Marie E. Berry (University of Denver) and Hilary Matfess (University of Denver), this chapter of A Political Science Experiment explores the following questions:

– What is gender, and how does gender differ from sex?
– What are the core concepts for thinking about gender and politics?
– How can we understand the historical evolution of women’s rights around the world?
– How did women’s issues become a part of mainstream political agendas around the world?
– How does gender shape formal government?
– How has the level of women and sexual and gender minorities in government changed over time?
– Do men and women govern differently? How do gender norms contribute to this?
– What is informal politics?
– How important are bottom-up movements for social change for our understanding of politics?