TRAILBLAZERS, the first women elected to government

303pp., iilus., hardback, d.w., Polity Press, Cambridge, 2026

ISBN: 9781509567973

A study of some of the extraordinary women who defied the rules, challenged male authority and demanded a voice in the corridors of power, not just for themselves but for the women in their country, from aristocratic revolutionaries to women from the poorest backgrounds.

Includes chapters on South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Egypt.

"Bartley has researched widely ... you would be forgiven for thinking she had visited every country and got to know the women themselves. Crucially, she is unsentimental: she makes no attempt to present her characters as perfect, but celebrates, and seems to enjoy, their many flaws, as well as their achievements."  Julie Bindel, The Spectator

"This book is a skilful excavation of nuggets of incredible herstories. Paula Bartley fills crucial gaps and silences in global political history, setting a gold standard for historical research on women in national governance. Trailblazers inspires feminist scholars to expand the knowledge of such actors through full-blown biographies." Sylvia Tamale, author of When Hens Begin to Crow: Gender and Parliamentary Politics in Uganda

Dr. Paula Bartley is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Warwick. She is the author of Women's Activism in Twentieth Century Britain, Labour Women in Power, Queen Victoria, Ellen Wilkinson, Votes for Women, Emmeline Pankhurst, and The Changing Role of Women .