Gendered working conditions for men and women political actors

Abstract

Women have increasingly gained access to high-profile political positions, yet, even once in office they face additional barriers compared to men, e.g. when it comes to rising to leadership positions or to bring about policy change. This continuing discrimination can be explained by the way the persistence of gender stereotypical ideas about women’s role in politics and the increasing parliamentary representation of right-wing forces influence how voters, party elites, and MPs perceive women’s competences as political actors. This panel brings together innovative research that aims to enhance the understanding of the difficulties women face when trying to successfully exercise political offices by shedding light on gendered working conditions in parliament. Case studies from Switzerland, Sweden and Spain as well as comparative studies provide a nuanced picture on how gender stereotypes, sexist attitudes and antigender campaigns shape the behavior of MPs and continue to create additional obstacles for women in politics across different countries and institutional set-ups. The papers use these phenomena to explain women’s chances to rise to political offices and to bring about policy change. The panel includes quantitative and qualitative research designs and will allow to tackle the question of unequal opportunities for men and women from different angles .

Title	Details
Old and new resistances to gendering political representation in parliaments: parliamentary behaviour and feminist institutional response	View Paper Details
Gender Balanced Political Leadership: The Emergence and Sustainability of Norms on Gender Balanced Leadership in Swedish Politics	View Paper Details
Gender stereotypes of voters in patriarchal societies	View Paper Details
A Policy Field Only Suitable for Women? Politician's Attitudes towards Men's Role in Gender Equality Representation	View Paper Details
Gendered patterns of legislative oversight – how men and women MPs contribute to unequal working conditions for men and women ministers	View Paper Details