Which distinctiveness? Major cleavages and the career paths of Canadian female and male politicians

Sex, gender roles, and nationalism are factors which may affect the careers Of federal and provincial politicians. By analyzing the data provided by two surveys of female and male politicians in 1983 and 1986, this article considers the influence of sex, gender-role, and Quebec-rest of Canada cleavages on the paths of electoral victory, degrees of satisfaction, and perceptions of power of these politicians. It concludes by underlining that the Canadian political system emphasizes two relations of domination, which both explain these results and present particular difficulties for comparative studies of female and male politicians.