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Entering the men’s domain? Gender and portfolio allocation in European governments
[journal article]
Abstract While all government portfolios used to be the purview of men exclusively, more and more women are selected to sit around the cabinet table. But under which circumstances do women get appointed to different ministerial portfolios? This article, proposes a theoretical framework to consider how party ... view more
While all government portfolios used to be the purview of men exclusively, more and more women are selected to sit around the cabinet table. But under which circumstances do women get appointed to different ministerial portfolios? This article, proposes a theoretical framework to consider how party leaders’ attitudes and motivations influence the allocation of portfolios to male and female ministers. These propositions are tested empirically by bringing together data on 7,005 cabinet appointments across 29 European countries from the late 1980s until 2014. Considering the key partisan dynamics of the ministerial selection process, it is found that women are significantly less likely to be appointed to the ‘core’ offices of state, and ‘masculine’ and ‘neutral’ policy areas. However, these gender differences are moderated by the ideology of the party that allocates them. Women are more likely to be appointed to ‘masculine’ portfolios when a party's voters have more progressive gender attitudes. This theoretical framework and analysis enhances our understanding of women's access to the government, which has important implications for how ministers are selected, as well as how women are represented in the most powerful policy‐making positions in Europe.... view less
Keywords
formation of a government; ; gender; minister; executive; executive position; woman; regression analysis; Europe
Classification
Women's Studies, Feminist Studies, Gender Studies
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
executives; gender; government formation; portfolio allocation; women in politics; Seki-Williams Government and Ministers Data; Chapel Hill Expert Survey (CHES); Comparative Manifestos Project (CMP); European Values Study (EVS) 2015
Document language
English
Publication Year
2019
Page/Pages
p. 631-655
Journal
European Journal of Political Research, 58 (2019) 2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12305
ISSN
1475-6765
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed