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How Inclusive is the Feminist Initiative? Revisiting Theories on Political Recruitment in a Party with Female Politicians

Gender
Political Parties
Women
Candidate
Feminism
Elin Bjarnegård
Uppsala Universitet
Elin Bjarnegård
Uppsala Universitet
Lenita Freidenvall
Stockholm University

Abstract

Theories about gender and political recruitment take male political dominance for granted, and thus focus on parties as gatekeepers for women's increased representation and on formal characteristics and informal institutions that may make or break male dominance. Parties reproducing male dominance are described as ideologically leaning towards the political right, often with few internal rules guiding the selection criteria. Thus, in such parties, informal networks and connections take precedence over soft quotas or clear criteria, leaving ample room for gender bias to play a part in candidate recruitment processes. But to what extent can existing theory help us understand the causes of female dominance? Are parties whose lists are dominated by women similar to parties whose lists are dominated by men, or do they, instead, provide particularly clear illustrations of what women-friendly candidate selection processes may look like? The Feminist Initiative in Sweden is one of few examples where we can study female dominance among political candidates. This paper will address these issues by analyzing the candidate selection process in The Feminist Initiative for the elections to the European Parliament and the National Parliament in Sweden in 2014. By interviewing nomination committee members of the Feminist Initiative pertaining to the two elections as well as analyzing party documents and party lists, we will scrutinize the formal and informal rules and procedures in candidate selection and the ways in which gender plays a key role in the process. The paper seeks to contribute to an evaluation of existing theory on how party characteristics matter for gendered recruitment.