The Gender Cleavage: Updating Rokkanian Theory for the Twenty-First Century

Abstract This article develops Stein Rokkan’s cleavage theory to include the gender cleavage. It discusses the gender cleavage’s structural, cultural, and organizational dimensions. The extent to which the gender cleavage becomes manifest is related to the overall cleavage structure. The gender cleavage has been comparatively more salient in Europe’s Protestant North than in other Western countries. Incorporating gender conflicts into the Rokkanian framework may lead to a richer understanding of welfare regime development.