Despite the increasing number of women in parliaments worldwide, actual political power and influence remain highly gendered. Consequently, many questions remain about how gender—both independently and in combination with other identities—affects access to political influence and decision-making authority representative institutions. Our workshop sponsored by the Standing Group on Parliaments advances our understanding of when, how and why gender inequality tends to persist in accessing key political roles, exercising power, and influencing policy decisions even after enhanced gender balance in numbers. It seeks to capture the complex interplay between gendered structures and resistances to greater diversity and inclusion.
Research on gender and pathways to political power and influence has often focused on the hidden glass ceilings that put women—as well as other underrepresented social groups—at a disadvantage in politics (Kunovich and Paxton, 2005; Carroll and Sanbonmatsu, 2013; Bernhard, Shames and Teele, 2020; Folke and Rickne, 2016; Lawless and Fox, 2010). Despite years of progress towards greater gender equality in politics, evidence still supports the “leaky pipeline” theory, which suggests the gradual reduction in the number of women at various stages of a political career path (e.g. Thomsen and King 2020). This decline is attributed to hidden structures that, by reinforcing men’s power, prevent some elected representatives from achieving powerful roles and from having the same impact as their peers, due to their gender, age, minority status, disabilities, and sexuality (e.g. Bjarnegård, 2013; Bjarnegård and Kenny, 2016; Francheset and Piscopo, 2014; Kroeber and Hüffelmann, 2022; Lowndes 2014). Still, empirical evidence has shown that women tend to have shorter political careers than men and that there is a gender gap among the senior politicians (Muriaas and Stavenes, 2023; Asplund, Malde and Muriaas, 2024).
Given the current political context, characterized by an increased presence of women in parliaments, governments and political leadership -yet still dominated by men (Claveria, 2014; Bjarnegård, 2018; Murray, 2024; Höhmann 2023), the workshop aims to foster a timely exchange among scholars working on the impact of gender (and other identities) on access to politician influence and policy from different approaches and theoretical perspectives.
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Bernhard, R., Shames, S. and Teele, D.L. (2020) To Emerge? Breadwinning, Motherhood, and Women’s Decisions to Run for Office. American Political Science Review, 1–16.
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Claveria, S. (2014). Still a ‘Male Business’? Explaining Women's Presence in Executive Office. West European Politics 37 (5): 1156–76.
Coffé, H., Givens, J. and Ehrhardt, B. (2024) Career lengths of members of parliament in mixed-member proportional electoral systems. The Journal of Legislative Studies. 30(1), pp. 44–58.
Folke, O. and Rickne, J. (2016) The Glass Ceiling in Politics: Formalization and Empirical Tests. Comparative Political Studies. 49(5), 567–599.
Franceschet, S., & Piscopo, J. (2014). Sustaining gendered practices? Power, parties, and elite political networks in Argentina. Comparative Political Studies, 47(1), 85–110.
Höhmann, D. (2023) Political parties, issue salience, and the appointment of women cabinet members. European Political Science Review [online]. 15 (1), pp. 145–153.
Kroeber, C. and Hüffelmann, J. (2022) It’s a Long Way to the Top: Women’s Ministerial Career Paths. Politics and Gender, 18(3), 741–767.
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Lawless, J.L. and Fox, R.L. (2010) It Still Takes a Candidate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lowndes, V. (2014). How are things done around here? Uncovering institutional rules and their gendered effects. Politics and Gender, 10(4), 685–691.
Muriaas, R. and Stavenes, T. (2024) Gender and Political Seniority: Three Measures. Politics and Gender, 20(2), 271-95.
Murray, R. (2024) The substantive representation of men: Intersectionality, masculinities, and men’s interests. European Journal of Political Research [online]. pp. 1–35.
O’Brien, D. Z., Mendez, M., Peterson, J. C., & Shin, J. (2015). Letting Down the Ladder or Shutting the Door: Female Prime Ministers, Party Leaders, and Cabinet Ministers. Politics & Gender, 11(4), 689–717.
Schwindt-Bayer, L.A. (2011) Women who win: Social backgrounds, paths to power, and political ambition in Latin American legislatures. Politics and Gender. 7 (1), pp. 1–33.
Thomsen, D., & King, A. (2020). Women’s Representation and the Pipeline to Power. American Political Science Review, 114 (4), 989–1000.
1: How does gender influence the pathways to political power after being elected to parliament?
2: How and why does gender affect the length of MPs’ careers?
3: How do gender inequalities in MPs' careers affect political influence and policy-making?
1: How does gender affect pathways to political power and the likelihood for representatives to endure in office?
2: Why, how and by whom are measures to enhance gender equality in decision-making bodies contested?
3: What strategies are used to make political institutions and outcomes more gender sensitive?
4: How can we incorporate intersectional approaches and post-colonial perspectives into our research?
5: What are the policy implications of unequal gender representation in parliaments and governments?
