Women, Politics and Policy Midterm

Patriarchy did what?

shut women out of both politics and paid work.

Suffrage

a demand for individual rights in the public sphere.

What kept women out of politics?

patriarchy and public/private split.

Turnout gap

the difference in demographics of total number of people who show up to vote.

Men’s control of economic resources shapes what?

who holds more unpaid or paid work, and the candidate pipeline.

Industrial capitalism did what?

reinforced traditional sources of power (patriarchy).

Teele’s theories to suffrage

it benefited men politically, politicians wanted to gain more votes, and strength of women’s movement.

Macro-levels explanations of women’s suffrage

modernization, war, women’s scarcity, other global changes.

Micro-level explanations of women’s suffrage

elite incentives, electoral competition, or other reasons that explain why legislators agreed to giving women suffrage.

Expedienary argument

women will bring unique skills to politics if given the right to vote.

Cleavages

political conflicts that affect competition and creates uncertainty.

Some career sectors are more likely to produce politicians because?

prestige, money, networking, skills, role models, etc.

What is usually left out of GDP?

women’s unpaid labor/care.

Do women or men work more hours?

women.

The mental load

the cognitive labor of anticipating, fulfilling, and monitoring household needs.

How can we get more women into politics?

instill ways to help women, make more parent-friendly work spaces, and change norms and split work equally between genders.

The second shift

the unpaid domestic shift that women work after paid work shift.

3 forms of bias that limit women’s representation

outright hostility, double standards, and a double bind.

Double bind

desired traits from voters, such as having a family, present bigger burdens for women than men.

Election aversion

women may avoid participating in an election because of the context of elections, lack of role models, and costs of elections.

District magnitude

the number of representatives elected from 1 district.

Why is there a gender gap in the ambition to run for office?

pipeline problems, women’s self-perception, and institutional structure (elections, funding, etc.)

Voters care about what during elections?

partisanship (political party).

Supply

who can and will run (candidates).

Demand

who voters choose and electoral rules (decision).

Electoral systems

majoritarian vs. PR, ballot type, and district magnitude.

Majoritarian

most votes win (example: U.S.)

PR/Proportion

seats proportional according to share of votes won, includes open and closed lists.

Open lists

names people, more common, and candidates can use individual resources.

Closed lists

names parties, parties create ranks and decide whether or not to include women.

Larger district magnitude equals?

better proportions.

Gender quotas

measures that are put into place to ensure that a certain percentage of women or men are included in candidate supply.

Types of gender quotas

legislative quotas, party quotas, and reserved seats.

Legislative quotas

legally binding, a certain percentage of women need to be in office.

Party quotas

not legally binding, most popular on the left, states percentage minimum for women.

Reserved seats

seats reserved for specific kind of candidate by government.

What makes gender quotas effective?

placement mandates and enforcement.

Placement mandate

a rule that says where on ballots women should be placed.

Enforcement

lack of inclusion can cause government to financially penalize or reject electoral lists.

Forms of placement mandates

zipper method, rank rules, and dispersion.

Where do gender quotas work the best?

under PR, closed lists, and large district magnitude.

Single-member district

one slot, zero sum; parties pick the “safe” candidate.

Centralized parties

executive has the final approval in the list.

Decentralized parties

a member-representing body approves the list.

Which type of parties are gender quotas more effective in?

decentralized parties.