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This concluding chapter shows that there is strong evidence of contagion on women's political representation. While there is strong evidence of contagion overall, its influence manifests itself in different ways, depending on the institution under study. The lagged percentage of women in the legislature was a significant predictor of women's political participation. Additionally, quotas had a significant influence on women's representation in the legislature. In looking at the factors that raise the probability of a female executive, it was found that the percentage of women in the legislature and the presence of a reserved-seat quota were both significantly related to the higher probability of a female executive. Finally, given that legislatures are often involved in the selection of judges, because they either select or approve judicial nominees, the connection between having more women in the legislature and the selection of more female judges is clear.

This introductory chapter notes the variation in women's paths to participation in public institutions, where that path is open, where it is not, and what accounts for the differences in women's access. It analyzes the representation of women in political institutions in the years 1945–2006, considering the factors that might affect representation within a single institution while also accounting for the contagion effect, or how the representation in one institution may influence another. The political institutions considered include legislatures, cabinets, courts, and quota laws. By looking cross-nationally, cross-institutionally, and across time, this study aims to gain a more complete perspective on women's representation. Moreover, it offers a lot of opportunities for generalization, especially as countries consider alternate constitutional arrangements.

Chapter 1 considers the role that federal higher education policies have played in the progress that American women have made since the mid-twentieth century. The conventional wisdom suggests that the 1970s—with the emergence of the women’s rights movement and fervent activism by feminist organizations—marked the crucial turning point for gender equality in the United States. Evidence suggests, however, that landmark US higher education policies enacted during the mid-twentieth century have played an important role in the promotion of women to first-class citizenship. Passed prior to and apart from the feminist movement, these programs made it possible for women to gain knowledge and skills that are valued in the labor market and also promote political engagement. Through redistributive and regulatory higher education policies, US lawmakers promoted equal opportunity for women.

The epilogue discusses the volume’s central themes in light of events around the 2016 presidential election. This chapter considers growth in gender equality over the last one hundred years as well as continuing aspects of gender inequality. It examines the degree to which women’s influence has changed over time, particularly their increased presence in politics as well as ongoing efforts to marginalize their roles. The final chapter examines this influence in electoral politics as well as social movement activism, also exploring the ways in which politics continues to be a deeply gendered sphere of action. This epilogue returns to the rich diversity of women’s engagement in political action, reminding readers of the significant insights that can emerge from an intersectional approach to understanding women’s political action. The book concludes with thoughts, which must be speculative at best, of what may lie ahead for the next hundred years of women’s enfranchisement.

Departing from professionalization explanations, this chapter demonstrates how the level of inclusiveness of the political settlement in each case shaped the impact of donor assistance on the women’s sectors. The chapter examines how the women’s sector was reconstituted in each case, focusing on the relationships that transpired with grassroots constituencies, as well as between the different tendencies of the women’s sectors. It also assesses the women sector’s engagement with legislative and local bodies of government in each case. It concludes with illustrations of donor-funded programs in each case.