Work

Who Gets What? The Interactive Effect of MPs’ Sex in Committee Assignments in Portugal

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: This article investigates the role of key individual-level factors, namely expertise, seniority and preferences in women’s assignments to legislative committees. It focuses on Portugal and draws on biographical data on MPs in five elections until 2009 and interviews with 20 legislators in 2014. The results show that female and male MPs have a similar probability of being appointed to powerful and economic issue committees, but female MPs are more likely to be appointed to social issue committees regardless of expertise and seniority. Although this outcome might be the product of their own preferences, it is influenced by embedded gender norms.

Source: Parliamentary Affairs

DOI: 10.1093/pa/gsz004

Authors: Ana Espírito-Santo, Edalina Rodrigues Sanches

Institutions: Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, University of Lisbon, Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa

Language: English

Topic: Gender Politics and Representation

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, American Political Science Association