Obstacles and opportunities: The experiences of female councillor candidates in Metropolitan Vancouver and Ottawa, 1999-2006

This thesis explores the electoral representation of female councillors in municipal politics in two major Canadian regions: Metropolitan Vancouver and Ottawa from 1999 to 2006. Certain obstacles and opportunities affect the number of female candidates that campaign for local office and are elected to municipal councils. I argue that the size of the electoral jurisdiction, the presence of political parties, and the presence of campaign finance regulations are three key variables that shape the opportunities of female candidates when contesting municipal office. The thesis demonstrates that the experiences of women candidates are profoundly impacted by the contexts within which they contest local office and that these contexts must be accounted for when assessing the representation of women at the municipal.