Sarah Childs | School of Social and Political Science

Professor Sarah Childs

Personal Chair of Politics and Gender

Sarah.Childs@ed.ac.uk

+44 07950933371

https://www.facebook.com/FeministDemocraticRepresentation/

https://twitter.com/@profsarahchilds/

6.06

Chrystal Macmillan

George Square

Edinburgh

Scotland, UK

Research interests

UK and Comparative Politics Elections, public opinion and parties Gender Politics Research Group

Political representation

Gender and parliaments

Political parties

British Politics

Feminism and Democracy

Feminist Institutionalism

Background

Sarah Childs joined the University of Edinburgh in May 2022. She has a background in Political Science and Women's Studies. Her research centres on the theory and practice of women's political representation, gender and political parties, parliaments and institutional change. Childs latest book Feminist Democratic Representation (co-authored with Karen Celis) was published by OUP in 2020, and jointly won the PSA W.J.M. MacKenzie book prize in 2022. Childs is also author of The Good Parliament Report, 2016, which followed a secondment to the UK House of Commons. She is finalising her new book, Designing and Building Feminist Institutions, which will be published in 2023.

Works within

Politics and International Relations

From W/B Sept 19th, Wednesday 2-4pm

Publication	Research Explorer link
Childs S, Kenny M. Gender Sensitising Parliaments: A Practical Guide. Edinburgh: The Scottish Parliament, 2025. 27 p.	View
Celis K, Childs S. Performing democratic listening. In Diehl P, Saward M, editors, Bodies, Spaces, Claims: The Theory and Practice of Performing Political Representation. Oxford University Press. 2024. p. 137-158 doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198934905.003.0007	View
Celis K, Childs S. Feminist democratic design and the redress of intersectional representational problematics. Politics and Gender. 2024 Nov 21;1-6. Epub 2024 Nov 21. doi: 10.1017/S1743923X24000242	View
Childs S, Kenny M. Gender and parliaments. In Bernardes C, Crewe E, editors, Elgar Encyclopedia of Parliamentary Studies. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. 2024	View
Childs S. Gender Sensitizing Parliaments: Reflections on Becoming a Feminist Academic Critical Actor. Politics and Governance. 2024 May 9;12:8045. doi: 10.17645/pag.8045	View
Celis K, Childs S. From women’s presence to feminist representation: Second-generation design for women’s group representation. European Journal of Politics and Gender. 2023 Sept;6(3):359-376. Epub 2023 Feb 2. doi: 10.1332/251510821X16654996784749	View
Childs S, Palmieri S. Gender-sensitive parliaments: Feminising formal political institutions. In Sawer M, Banaszak LA, True J, Kantola J, editors, Handbook of Feminist Governance. Edward Elgar Publishing. 2023. p. 174-188. (International Handbooks on Gender series). doi: 10.4337/9781800374812.00021	View
Ashe J, Campbell R, Childs S, Lovenduski J. The implementation of equality-based candidate selection decisions in the British Labour and Conservative Parties. In Lang S, Meier P, Sauer B, editors, Party Politics and the Impact of Gender Quotas : Resisting Institutions. 1st ed. London : Palgrave Macmillan. 2022. p. 151-169. (Gender and Politics ). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-08931-2_8	View
Kenny M, Bjarnegard E, Lovenduski J, Childs S, Evans E, Verge T. Reclaiming party politics research: Response to Anika Gauja and Karina Kosiara-Pedersen. 2021. Decline, adaptation and relevance: political parties and their researchers in the twentieth century. European Political Science 20(1):123–38. European Political Science. 2022 Jun;21:274-291. Epub 2022 Feb 11. doi: 10.1057/s41304-022-00362-0	View
Childs S. Feminist institutional change: The case of the UK Women and Equalities Committee. Parliamentary Affairs. 2022 Mar 3. Epub 2022 Mar 3. doi: 10.1093/pa/gsab066	View
Smith JC, Childs S. Remotely Representative Parliament: Lesson Learning from the Hybrid Parliament. Centenary Action Group, 2021. 30 p.	View
Palmieri S, Childs S. Patience, ladies: Gender-sensitive parliamentary responses in a time of crisis. European Journal of Law Reform. 2020 Dec 31;22(4):468-483. doi: 10.5553/EJLR/138723702021022004010	View
Childs S. Why the exclusion of pregnant MPs from the House of Commons during Covid-19 matters – for them and for others Hansard Society. 2020.	View
Celis K, Childs S. Feminist Democratic Representation. Oxford University Press, 2020. 256 p. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190087722.001.0001	View
Childs S. Breastfeeding in the House of Commons is a sign that parliament is becoming a more inclusive place to work King's College London . 2020.	View
Childs S. Gender Sensitising Parliaments Guidelines: Standards and a Checklist for Parliamentary Change. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, 2020. 30 p.	View
Childs S, Palmieri S. A primer for parliamentary action: Gender-sensitive responses to COVID-19. UN Women, 2020. 12 p.	View
Childs S. Maria Miller. In Dale I, Smith J, editors, The Honourable Ladies: Profiles of Women MPs 1997–2019. Vol. 2. Biteback Publishing. 2019	View
Childs S, Challender C. Re-gendering the UK House of Commons: The academic critical actor and her ‘Feminist in Residence’. Political Studies Review. 2019 Nov 1;17(4):428-435. Epub 2019 Aug 1. doi: 10.1177/1478929919866388	View
Childs S. The Good Parliament: What kind of Speaker do we need? The Constitution Unit. 2019.	View
Allen P, Childs S. The grit in the oyster? Women’s parliamentary organizations and the substantive representation of women. Political Studies. 2019 Aug 1;67(3):618-638. Epub 2018 Aug 31. doi: 10.1177/0032321718793080	View
Childs S. Helene Hayman. In Dale I, Smith J, editors, The Honourable Ladies: Profiles of Women MPs 1918–1996. Vol. 1. Biteback Publishing. 2018	View
Childs S, Dahlerup D. Increasing women’s descriptive representation in national parliaments: The involvement and impact of gender and politics scholars. European Journal of Politics and Gender. 2018 Jul 1;1(1-2):185-204. Epub 2018 Jul 1. doi: 10.1332/251510818X15272520831094	View
Childs S, Hughes M. “Which men?” how an intersectional perspective on men and masculinities helps explain women's political underrepresentation. Politics and Gender. 2018 Jun;14(2):282-287. Epub 2018 Jun 22. doi: 10.1017/S1743923X1800017X	View
Celis K, Childs S. Conservatism and women's political representation. Politics and Gender. 2018 Apr 10;14(1):5-26. doi: 10.1017/S1743923X17000575	View
Celis K, Childs S. Good representatives and good representation. PS - Political Science and Politics. 2018 Apr;51(2):314-317. Epub 2018 Apr 4. doi: 10.1017/S1049096517002426	View
Celis K, (ed.), Childs S, (ed.). Gender and Conservatism. Politics & Gender. 2018 Mar;14(1).	View
Campbell R, Childs S. The (feminised) contemporary Conservative Party. In Berthezène C, Gottlieb JV, editors, Rethinking right-wing women: Gender and the Conservative Party, 1880s to the present. Manchester University Press. 2017. p. 192-214. (New Perspectives on the Right). doi: 10.7228/manchester/9781784994389.003.0012	View
Campbell R, Childs S. The (m)otherhood trap: Reconsidering sex, gender, and legislative recruitment. In Thomas M, Bittner A, editors, Mothers and Others: The Role of Parenthood in Politics. UBC Press. 2017. p. 25-45	View
Campbell R, (ed.), Childs S, (ed.). Open House? Reflections on the possibility and practice of MPs job-sharing. Fawcett Society, 2017. 44 p.	View
Campbell R, Childs S. Introduction. In Campbell R, Childs S, editors, Open House?: Reflections on the possibility and practice of MPs job-sharing. Fawcett Society. 2017. p. 8-10	View
Campbell R, Childs S. The case for and against MPs job-sharing. In Campbell R, Childs S, editors, Open House?: Reflections on the possibility and practice of MPs job-sharing. Fawcett Society. 2017. p. 33-38	View
Celis K, Childs S, Curtin J. Specialised parliamentary bodies and the quality of women's substantive representation: A comparative analysis of Belgium, United Kingdom and New Zealand. Parliamentary Affairs. 2016 Oct 1;69(4):812-829. Epub 2016 Mar 9. doi: 10.1093/pa/gsw007	View
Celis K, Childs S, Kantola J. Regendering party politics: An introduction. Party Politics. 2016 Sept 1;22(5):571-575. Epub 2016 Jul 18. doi: 10.1177/1354068816655567	View
Childs SL, Kittilson MC. Feminizing political parties: Women’s party member organizations within European parliamentary parties. Party Politics. 2016 Sept 1;22(5):598-608. Epub 2016 Jun 22. doi: 10.1177/1354068816654320	View
Celis K, (ed.), Childs S, (ed.), Kantola J, (ed.). Gender and Party Politics. Party Politics. 2016 Sept.	View
Childs S. The Good Parliament. University of Bristol, 2016. 37 p.	View
Campbell R, Childs S. All aboard the pink battle bus? Women voters, women's issues, candidates and party leaders. In Geddes A, Tonge J, editors, Britain Votes 2015. Oxford University Press. 2015. (Hansard Society Series in Politics and Government).	View
Campbell R, Childs S. All aboard the pink battle bus? Women voters, women's issues, candidates and party leaders. Parliamentary Affairs. 2015 Sept;68(Supplement 1):206-223. Epub 2015 Sept 3. doi: 10.1093/pa/gsv036	View
Campbell R, Childs S. ‘To the left, to the right’: Representing conservative women’s interests. Party Politics. 2015 Jul 1;21(4):626-637. Epub 2013 Jun 25. doi: 10.1177/1354068813491536	View
Campbell R, Childs S. Conservatism, feminisation and the representation of women in UK politics. British Politics. 2015 Jun 1;10(2):148-168. Epub 2015 May 15. doi: 10.1057/bp.2015.18	View
Campbell R, Childs S. ‘What the coalition did for women’: A new gender consensus, coalition division and gendered austerity. In Seldon A, Finn M, editors, The Coalition Effect, 2010–2015. Cambridge University Press. 2015. p. 397-429 doi: 10.1017/CBO9781139946551.016	View
Celis K, (ed.), Childs S, (ed.). Gender, Conservatism and Political Representation. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc., 2014. 330 p.	View
Celis K, Childs S. Introduction: The ‘Puzzle’ of gender, Conservatism and representation. In Celis K, Childs S, editors, Gender, Conservatism and Political Representation. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc. 2014. p. 1-20	View
Campbell R, Childs S. Representing women’s interests and the UK Conservative Party: ‘To the Left, To the Right’, party members, voters and representatives. In Celis K, Childs S, editors, Gender, Conservatism and Political Representation. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc. 2014. p. 251-272	View
Campbell R, (ed.), Childs S, (ed.). Deeds and Words: Gendering Politics after Joni Lovenduski. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc., 2014. 288 p.	View
Campbell R, Childs S. Introduction: Deeds and words. In Campbell R, Childs S, editors, Deeds and Words: Gendering Politics after Joni Lovenduski. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc. 2014. p. 3-14	View
Childs S, Murray R. Feminising political parties. In Campbell R, Childs S, editors, Deeds and Words: Gendering Politics after Joni Lovenduski. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc. 2014. p. 73-90	View
Campbell R, Childs S. Afterword: Joni Lovenduski’s contribution to political science. In Campbell R, Childs S, editors, Deeds and Words: Gendering Politics after Joni Lovenduski. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc. 2014. p. 255-256	View
Celis K, Childs S, Kantola J, Krook ML. Constituting women's interests through representative claims. Politics and Gender. 2014 Jun;10(2):149-174. Epub 2014 May 20. doi: 10.1017/S1743923X14000026	View
Childs S, Webb P. Sex, Gender and the Conservative Party: From Iron Lady to Kitten Heels. 1st ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 299 p. (Gender and Politics). doi: 10.1057/9780230354227	View
Krook ML, Childs S. Women, gender, and politics: An introduction. In Krook ML, Childs S, editors, Women, Gender, and Politics: A Reader. Oxford University Press. 2010. p. 3-20	View
Krook ML, (ed.), Childs S, (ed.). Women, Gender, and Politics: A Reader. Oxford University Press, 2010. 384 p.	View
Childs S. Women and British Party Politics: Descriptive, Substantive and Symbolic Representation. 1st ed. Routledge, 2008. 232 p. (Routledge Advances in European Politics). doi: 10.4324/9780203019443	View
Childs S. New Labour's Women MPs: Women Representing Women. 1st ed. Routledge, 2004. 270 p. doi: 10.4324/9780203330876	View

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