Women's Leadership

Why does the gender balance among politicians vary so substantially across different locations? Drawing on a new study, Moa Frödin Gruneau illustrates that the historical persistence of traditional family structures has a clear relationship with the number of women in politics today.

Despite numerous attempts over the years to increase the share of women among politicians, politics more often than not remains a man’s game. But why is the gender imbalance in political assemblies across the world so difficult to change?

Previous research has suggested numerous reasons for the underrepresentation of women in politics. These include that women have less ambition than men, that voters prefer male candidates, and that women face larger structural constraints, such as having to combine a career with homemaking. However, it remains an open question as to why we see variation in the level of constraints women face, and why the demand from voters for women in politics varies across time and place.

History matters

In a new study, I focus on the historical persistence of traditional family structures. The reasons to do so are threefold. First, history matters for present day gender roles. Second, gender-traditional norms and family structures put constraints on women’s careers. Third, attitudes toward gender roles are transmitted across generations.

Click here to read the full article published by LSE on 21 July 2021.

Abstract

Throughout history, most positions of political power have been held by men, and despite numerous laws and regulations aimed at increasing gender equality in society and politics, the majority of democratic assemblies remain predominantly composed of men. What makes this gender composition persistent over time? Using data from Swedish population registers from 1982 to 2014 and demographic statistics from 1749 to 1859, I study how historical social norms shape the present-day gender balance in local politics. The results show that where family formation was more traditional in the past, there are fewer women in local politics today. The analysis also shows that family formation is a likely mechanism for the transmission of social norms across generations. The findings contribute to our understanding of the historical persistence of social structures and the reasons why gender balance in politics is not easily achieved.

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MOGADISHU, SOMALIA - Somalia's top leaders, all men, have struggled for years to tame the Horn of Africa nation's insecurity and corruption. Lawmaker Fawzia Yusuf Haji Adam says it's time for a woman's touch and on Tuesday announced her candidacy for president. But getting enough support from Somalia's lawmakers, the vast majority of them men, will be a challenge.

Fawzia says she will bring a new lease on life to the country, if elected, by prioritizing security, economic empowerment and education.  Her male counterparts, she says, have failed to do so. 

"We have been waiting for men for so long to sort out the problems of Somalia but till today we see there are no solutions so I have decided to stand for president and I have no doubt I will do a much better job than men," Fawzia said. "Islam does not stop women from going to politics or becoming head of state or in higher positions. If you go to Bangladesh, for the last 50 years almost there are women leaders replacing each other and it is the most conservative country in the Muslim world. The most populous country is Indonesia, there was a lady who was in charge, in Pakistan, we have so many other Muslim women [in charge] including Tanzania and Singapore,” she added.

Click here to read the full article published by VOA News on 14 July 2021.

The Socialist leader hopes the changes will help focus on the economic recovery and smooth thorny issues such as Catalan independence before Spaniards vote in the next election.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has carried out a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle, replacing some of his most important ministers, boosting the representation of women and reducing the average age of his team.

Sánchez unveiled the changes on Saturday, saying that the new government will focus on Spain’s economic recovery and holding up his new team as a global example of gender equality. The new appointments also “represent a generational renewal, with an average age of 50.”

In a brief news conference without questions, Sánchez talked about “a new period” that is opening up to reactivate “the social, green, digital and feminist agenda.” But the two major goals of the new governing team will be to receive and manage millions of euros in EU funds to facilitate the post-coronavirus recovery, and to reduce political and social tension over the issue of Catalan independence.

Click here to read the full article published by El Pais on 12 July 2021.

The Biden White House has the narrowest wage gap since the country started tracking it in 1995, according to salary data released Thursday.

President Joe Biden’s White House has the narrowest gender pay gap of any administration since 1995, according to new salary data released Thursday.

The data, which the White House has been required to release publicly since 1995, shows that women in the Biden administration earn 99 cents for every $1 earned by men. That is far narrower than the gender wage gap in the country as whole — in 2021, women are earning 82 cents on the White man’s $1.

On average, women earn $93,752 in Biden’s White House, while men earn $94,639.

In the 2020 Trump White House, women earned 69 cents on men’s $1. In Trump’s first year in office, 2016, women earned just 63 cents to men’s $1.

Biden’s gap is also narrower than other Democratic presidents. In the Obama White House, women earned between about 84 and 89 cents on the dollar, according to an analysis by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. 

Click here to read the full article published by The 19th on 1 July 2021.

The president is on track to shatter previous records as he aims to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

President Joe Biden has nominated or announced his intent to nominate a higher percentage of women to federal judgeships over the first six months of his presidency than any of his predecessors did during their terms, putting him on track to shatter previous records.

As of the beginning of July, Biden had nominated or announced his intent to nominate 30 jurists to the federal bench. Twenty-three — about 77 percent — of those nominees are women, and 17 — about 57 percent — are women of color, according to an analysis done by Demand Justice.

During Donald Trump’s one-term presidency, 234 of his federal judicial picks were confirmed and 56 of them, or about 24 percent, were women. Though he nominated a slightly higher percentage of women jurists than his Republican predecessors, Trump’s picks still skewed White and male when compared with those of Democratic presidents, according to the Pew Research Center. 

Click here to read the full article published by The 19^th on 7 July 2021.