Social Politics

Stockemer, Daniel; Kolodziejczyk, Kamila

doi: 10.1093/sp/jxaf064pmid: N/A

This article looks at the effect of perceived corruption on women’s representation in the cabinet. Using a global dataset with data from 1992 to 2023, we report five findings. First, we confirm that perceived corruption makes it harder for women to access the cabinet. Second, we disconfirm that high corruption and low trust in democratic institutions entice heads of the government to nominate more women. Rather, we find a reversed relationship. Third, we find women do not see their chances of gaining nomination to a high-prestige portfolio diminish in countries with high levels of perceived corruption. Fourth, we report that trust in democratic institutions does not condition the effect of perceived corruption on the portfolio allocation of female ministers. Finally, we illustrate that change in corruption scores, either alone or in combination with trust, rather does not influence women’s nomination to cabinet.

Henselijn, Sophie; Muis, Jasper; Broese van Groenou, Marjolein I

doi: 10.1093/sp/jxaf066pmid: N/A

In many Western European countries, on average, women tend to lean more left-wing than men, whereas a reverse gap exists in many Eastern European countries. Societal changes in recent times might have changed this gender gap. Using European Values Study data from 2017 to 2022, the researchers update the gender gap in twenty-nine European countries and test the generalizability of earlier identified macro-level factors impacting on the gender gap. The results indicate that the modern gender gap persists, with some differences in the magnitude compared to earlier studies. The findings reaffirm that sociostructural contextual factors, such as female labor market participation and the country’s level of higher educational attainment, and cultural factors, such as the country’s dominant religion, contribute to the gender gap. This article fuels the ongoing debate by updating the literature with recent findings and offering new insights into the stability and variation of gender-based political preferences across Europe.