Gendered (Non)participants? What Constructions of Citizenship Tell Us about Democratic Governance in the Twenty-first Century

Abstract

A review of political regimes at the end of the twentieth century is undoubtedly marked by many notable and substantive changes, in which the model of 'liberal democracy' became the norm. Yet, what also emerged was an evident gap between the eligibility and the willingness or interest to participate in the political sphere. Claims of a 'participation crisis' mushroomed in numerous circles and many states, and political regimes, in turn, flagged up their concern with 'citizenship' as both an entitlement and a responsibility. To this end, we engage with interesting debates on citizenship as it relates to individuals and groups. What we argue here is that dialogues about empowerment and participation (and importantly non-participation) are all too often gender-blind.