Last time I looked anybody could join any political party. If politics is important to women then I suggest they join political parties in enough numbers so that good candidates can be found. the token women is far more damaging to women being treated as equals in all fields then any attitude men have these days.
The authors have also picked up on the fact that it more often then not other women who are undermining women in politics.

I do offer a note of caution though, identifying physical features in order to ridicule or satirise think Abbott's cosi, or Trumps hair is quite normal and should not be labeled sexist when it done to a women.

If the current rough and tumble of politics is keeping people away then they are most likely not right for the job anyway.

If the author wish to change the world then I think they should start by asking Geer why she made the comments she made before casting the usual blame net over all of Mandoom

oh BTW quoting Julia Baird is always going to do more harm then good.

and you must for better of worst consider One nation.

Most women do not want to be politicians anymore than most men do. Politics is something that nice people simply do not do. No qualifications are needed; you don't even need a personality. Just join a clan, snivel and comply; suck up to the right people and you can get yourself nominated for a cushy job without once fronting your real employers, the voters. How easy is that? The only restriction is that the limits imposed on snouts-in-troughs restricts the number of bludgers required. But once you in,you are there for life, just a long as you toe the party line.

No self-respecting woman should want to be in politics. Certainly no woman worthy of the respect we blokes naturally feel towards women. I don't like any politicians; but women politicians? Just too revolting!

One Nation is led by a woman.

As you come from a School of Arts and Social Sciences at a University, I can understand who you overlooked this !.

Radical feminism could never accept that women have the right to choose and to be responsible for their own choices.

There will always be those who presume to always know what is best for others, in this case women and if given the chance would likely force their ideology, their way, on others. -All for the good of women who are apparently too timid, too ignorant, or too something else to realise what is best for themselves.

Time to move on from the bashed-out and de-bunked mantras of Marxist student politics of the Sixties, recycled as original ideas by feminists of the Seventies.

If the former democrat female speaker had been nominated and ran on Bernie Sander's platform, we'd be welcoming the first female President! Always providing she was a native born American?

We have had the first female P.M. And given her lack of conviction, saw her wimp out and chain herself to the two bob each way, greens!

Teresa May is the new British Prime Minister and won her position on merit!

Put up enough quality candidates, with good ideas, a popular platform and the courage of conviction to back them all the way; and see what happens.

The two "Ladies" are so busy lusting after unearned power? They can't see that they are at the heart of their problem! As are their antidemocratic quotas!

When you look at the population and the voting demographic, the numbers seem to suggest, there more female voters than male? Most of who, are equally turned off by control freak feminists lusting after power for power's sake?

And not because they'd necessarily improve anything or be more resolute or intelligent, just more butch than the rabble rubbish they'd replace?

If you've ever worked under one control freak butch female? (minus the obvious sexual connotations ["heaven"]) You know it's not something you'd ever chose again and a good enough reason to reject quotas!

The preferential voting system that makes a virtual mockery of democracy (de mock, crass, see?) is enough already, without control freak females lusting after power for power's, sake added to it!

What we don't need are examples that stand out as being more, we know best elitist candidates, than the born to rule examples they'd replace!?

Stay with merit and candidates that can cut the mustard! Their success or failure dependent on the quality of their character, their ideas, and the courage of conviction to stay the course and back them to the hilt, with convincing passion. To at the very least, win over the female voter demographic!

Find folk who can literally put the nation ahead of the party, party politics and self? Then take your chances!
Alan B.

Ho hum, more bigotted sexist hypocritical hate-speech from the feminists.

I challenge anyone to defend any tenet of feminist ideology, and I undertake to prove their self-contradiction in two steps. Go ahead. Accept my challenge.

Without even waiting for you, let's start with "the personal is political".

So everything is political, and no-one has a right to personal freedom but what the government arbitrarily decides they can have? This will be backed up by government's claim of a legal monopoly of force and threats, including tasers, handcuffs, prison, rape and bashings. This is justified to enforce the feminist agenda, yes? That's what you're saying isn't it, Jo and Angelika?

So, in principle, you can't see any objection to repealing the law against rape, because "equal opportunity"? Equal opportunity is such a high moral principle that it justifies the threat, and fact, of prison and rape to enforce it, to override a person's freedom to choose whether to dissociate from another person?

Yes? No? Double standard on your part? Which?

And you forgot the other mantra of feminists when confronted over their sexist bigtory: "equal doesn't mean the same".

So which is it? Does equal mean the same? Or not? Answer?

Jo and Angelika

Also, could you please help? I am having an argument with a friend of mine who maintains that under your ostentatious but fake virtue-signalling, you are really hypocrites and parasites; while I am strenuously maintaining the contrary.

So I need you to post evidence of all your political activism to end the gender:
1. work-deaths gap
2. tax gap, and
3. reproductive rights gap.

Go ahead.

Hey Jo and Agelika you got some explaining to dooooo!

Female politicians have symbolic 'identity' value only, by improving the visibility of women in public life. But female politicians have rarely ever sought to improve the lives of women in any feminist sense. If they ever did, they know their careers would be over.

Just another pile of crap to add to the fake news dung-pile.
I think I may have learned something though.

I think the reason why few women want to get involved in politics and why a lot do get involved in feminism, is basically the same reason why you both wrote this article and also why neither of you is in politics.

Its because women would usually rather whinge about everything than actually do something about it.

I'm glad though because I think you'd probably be terrible politicians anyway, if this deceitful article is anything to go by.

Other symbolic female identities include the current and former British P.M's. The former relatively recent Democrat Speaker of Congress, a former Pakistan P.M., A former Indian P.M., A former Israeli P.M. and a former Irish President, several state Governors and a recently replaced Governor General!

And symbolic to the last man, oops Lady? A relatively powerless Lady Thatcher achieved little; and our own Julia Gillard is on the record with the most dismal, passed legislation record?

As always, an educated erudite Killarney is absolutely on the money; and as usual for her, supported by completely substantiated facts!

Oh and she speaks fluent Gaelic! Without question, an intellectual giant!

Anyone accusing her of owning her own facts is clearly talking through a hole in their face! Or should see a psychiatrist?

On second thoughts, anyone who thinks they need a psychiatrist, ought to have their head examined! Or seek a career in (the inmates in charge of the asylum) politics!?
Alan B.

Thank you, Alan B. You're a gentleman.

But I'm not yet fluent in Gaelic. I wish.

Go raibh maith agat.

On second thoughts. You weren't sending me up, were you?