The Gender Gap in Parliamentarians' Pathways, Roles, Styles and Policy Attitudes: Comparisons across Parties and Nations in Western Europe

This study compares the gender gap in national parliamentarians' (MPs) pathways, roles, styles and policy attitudes across parties and nations in Western Europe. There are few cross-national comparisons of the gender gap in these areas of parliamentary activity. The literature's relative scarcity of cross-country comparison results from the previously low percentages of women MPs that were characteristic of most national parliaments prior to the 1990s and the limited collection of cross-national data on MPs. The resulting void in cross-country comparison has prevented scholars from more complex analysis of how the influence of gender varies in parliaments across individuals, parties and countries.;This study uses survey data of MPs unique in its comparative scope and collected when many countries in Western Europe began to see significantly higher percentages of women in their national parliaments. With this data, the study evaluates gender patterns among MPs from 11 different countries and over 30 political parties.;The study shows that women MPs differ in their career development, their representational focus, their representational style and their policy attitudes. Chapter 2 suggests that women's inclusion is broadening traditional pathways to office to include experience in women's organizations, other new left organizations like environmental organizations and the public sector. Chapter 3 suggests that women broaden representational focus by attributing more value to the representation of specific groups, a relationship that both the women and politics' literature and critics of descriptive representation expect. But, contrary to the expectations of the critics of descriptive representation, women do not do this to the exclusion or devaluing of traditional linkages nor do they appear more supportive of a contentious, competitive style of representation. Instead, they are similarly supportive of other political linkages and attribute greater importance than men to accountability, interest articulation and interest mediation. Chapter 4 tells us that women MPs differ in their support for reproductive rights, the interests of the economically and politically disadvantaged and redistribution. Chapter 5 establishes a strong relationship between women's inclusion in parties and male MP acceptance of women-linked experiences and interests.