Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-cx56b Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-10-06T02:56:01.808Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Endurance at the Top: Gender and Political Ambition of Spanish and Swedish MPs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2016

Carol Galais
Affiliation:
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Patrik Öhberg
Affiliation:
University of Gothenburg
Xavier Coller
Affiliation:
Universidad Pablo de Olavide

Abstract

The gender gap in political ambition is an important explanation for the absence of women in legislative assemblies. However, previous research on this matter is limited by two facts: it is conducted mostly in the United States and does not pay much attention to cultural and institutional factors. In this article, we test the extent to which established mechanisms behind female politicians' career ambitions—such as differentiated political socialization and family support for men and women—are related to gender inequality among parliamentarians. We also draw attention to other lesser-known aspects, such as political culture and gender policies. To do so, we compare Spain and Sweden, two countries with a relatively high number of female members of parliament (MPs) but different cultures and gender policies. We make use of two representative surveys on Swedish and Spanish MPs. The results show that female MPs in Spain have to sacrifice their family life more than Spanish males and Swedish MPs regardless of sex. In addition, Spanish female MPs' long-term political ambitions are more dependent on family support. Female MPs' ambition in Sweden, in turn, is highly influenced by a politicized upbringing.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allen, Peter. 2013. “Gendered Candidate Emergence in Britain: Why Are More Women Councillors Not Becoming MPs?Politics 33 (3): 147–59.Google Scholar
Barnello, Michelle A., and Bratton, Kathleen A.. 2007. “Bridging the Gender Gap in Bill Sponsorship.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 32 (3): 449–74.Google Scholar
Bettio, Francesca, and Villa, Paola. 1998. “A Mediterranean Perspective on the Breakdown of the Relationship between Participation and Fertility.” Cambridge Journal of Economics 22 (2): 137–71.Google Scholar
Bledsoe, Timothy, and Herring, Mary. 1990. “Victims of Circumstances: Women in Pursuit of Political Office.” American Political Science Review 84 (1): 213–23.Google Scholar
Borchert, Jens, and Stolz, Klaus. 2011. “Introduction: Political Careers in Multi-Level Systems.” Regional and Federal Studies 21 (2): 107–15.Google Scholar
Brace, Paul. 1984. “Progressive Ambition in the House: A Probabilistic Approach.” Journal of Politics 46 (2): 556–71.Google Scholar
Burrell, Barbara C. 1994. A Woman's Place Is in the House: Campaigning for Congress in the Feminist Era. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Burt-Way, Barbara J., and Kelly, Rita Mae. 1992. “Gender and Sustaining Political Ambition: A Study of Arizona Elected Officials.” Political Research Quarterly 45 (1): 1125.Google Scholar
Campbell, David E., and Wolbrecht, Christina. 2006. “See Jane Run: Women Politicians as Role Models for Adolescents.” Journal of Politics 68 (2): 233–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. 1994. Women as Candidates in American Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. ed. 2001. The Impact of Women in Public Office. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
Chattopadhyay, Raghabendra, and Duflo, Esther. 2004. “Women as Policy Makers: Evidence from a Randomized Policy Experiment in India.” Econometrica 72 (5): 1409–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, Cal, Clark, Janet, and Chou, Bih-er. 1993. “Ambition, Activist Role Orientations, and Alienation among Women Legislators in Taiwan: The Impact of Countersocialization.” Political Psychology 14 (3): 493510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clots-Figueras, Irma. 2012. “Are Female Leaders Good for Education?American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 4 (1): 212–44.Google Scholar
Codispoti, Franck. 1982. “American Governors and Progressive Ambition: An Analysis of Opportunities to Run for the Senate.” PhD diss., Michigan State University.Google Scholar
Coller, Xavier, Santana, Andrés, and Jaime, Antonio M.. 2014. “Problemas y soluciones para la construcción de bases de datos de políticos.” Revista Española de Ciencia Política y de la Administración 34: 169–98.Google Scholar
Costantini, Edmond. 1990. “Political Women and Political Ambition: Closing the Gender Gap.” American Journal of Political Science 34 (3): 741–70.Google Scholar
Constantini, Edmond, and Craik, Kenneth H.. 1977. “Women as Politicians: The Social Background, Personality, and Political Careers of Female Party Leaders.” In A Portrait of Marginality: The Political Behavior of American Women, eds. Githens, Marianne and Prestage, Jewell. New York: McKay, 221–40.Google Scholar
Conway, M. Margaret, Ahern, David W., and Steuernagel, Gertrude A.. 2004. Women and Political Participation: Cultural Change in the Political Arena. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press.Google Scholar
Dolan, Julie Anne B., Deckman, Melissa M., and Swers, Michele L.. 2010. Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence. 2nd ed. New York: Pearson.Google Scholar
Elder, Laurel. 2004. “Why Women Don't Run: Explaining Women's Underrepresentation in America's Political Institutions.” Women & Politics 26 (2): 2756.Google Scholar
Esaiasson, Peter, and Holmberg, Sören. 1996. Representation from Above: Members of Parliament and Representative Democracy in Sweden. Aldershot: Dartmouth.Google Scholar
Esping-Andersen, Gosta. 1999. Social Foundations of Postindustrial Economies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evertsson, Marie, and Nermo, Magnus. 2004. “Dependence within Families and the Household Division of Labor Comparing Sweden and the United States.” Journal of Marriage and Family 66 (5): 1272–86.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Lawless, Jennifer L.. 2003. “Family Structure, Sex-Role Socialization, and the Decision to Run for Office.” Women & Politics 24 (4): 1948.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Lawless, Jennifer L.. 2004. “Entering the Arena? Gender and the Decision to Run for Office.” American Journal of Political Science 48 (2): 264–80.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Lawless, Jennifer L.. 2014. “Reconciling Family Roles with Political Ambition: The New Normal for Women in Twenty-First Century U.S. Politics.” Journal of Politics 76 (2): 398414.Google Scholar
Fulton, Sarah A., Maestas, Cherie D., Maisel, L. Sandy, and Stone, Walter J.. 2006. “The Sense of a Woman: Gender, Ambition, and the Decision to Run for Congress.” Political Research Quarterly 59 (2): 235–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuwa, Makiko, and Cohen, Philip N.. 2007. “Housework and Social Policy.” Social Science Research 36 (2): 512–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galais, Carol. 2008. “¿Socialización o contexto? La implicación política subjetiva de los españoles (1985–2006).” Unpublished thesis, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona.Google Scholar
Gidengil, Elisabeth, O'Neill, Brenda, and Young, Lisa. 2010. “Her Mother's Daughter? The Influence of Childhood Socialization on Women's Political Engagement.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 31 (4): 334–55.Google Scholar
Goldscheider, Frances, Goldscheider, Calvin, and Rico-Gonzalez, Antonio. 2014. “Gender Equality in Sweden: Are the Religious More Patriarchal?Journal of Family Issues 35 (7): 892908.Google Scholar
Hall, Peter A., and Gingerich, Daniel W.. 2009. “Varieties of Capitalism and Institutional Complementarities in the Political Economy: An Empirical Analysis.British Journal of Political Science 39 (3): 449–82.Google Scholar
Hinojosa, Magda. 2012. Selecting Women, Electing Women: Political Representation and Candidate Selection in Latin America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Holmberg, Sören. 2009. “Candidate Recognition in Different Electoral Systems.” In The Comparative Study of Electoral System, ed. Klingemann, Hans-Dieter. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 158–70.Google Scholar
Kazee, Thomas A., ed. 1994. Who Runs for Congress? Ambition, Context, and Candidate Emergence. Washington, DC: CQ Press.Google Scholar
Krook, Mona Lena. 2003. “Not All Quotas Are Created Equal: Trajectories of Reform to Increase Women's Political Representation.” Presented at the European Consortium for Political Research, Joint Sessions of Workshops, Edinburgh, Scotland. http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/fs/pnorris/Acrobat/stm103%20articles/Krook_2003_Women.pdf (accessed July 5, 2016).Google Scholar
Krook, Mona Lena, and O'Brien, Diane Z.. 2012. “All the President's Men? The Appointment of Female Cabinet Ministers Worldwide.” Journal of Politics 74 (3): 840–55.Google Scholar
Lapuerta, Irene, Baizán, Pau, and González, María José. 2011. “Individual and Institutional Constraints: An Analysis of Parental Leave Use and Duration in Spain.” Population Research and Policy Review 30 (2): 185210.Google Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Fox, Richard L.. 2005. It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Fox, Richard L.. 2010. It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lee, Marcia Manning. 1976. “Why Few Women Hold Public Office: Democracy and Sexual Roles.” Political Science Quarterly 91 (2): 297314.Google Scholar
López-Sáez, Mercedes, Morales, J. Francisco, and Lisbona, Ana. 2008. “Evolution of Gender Stereotypes in Spain: Traits and Roles.” Spanish Journal of Psychology 11 (2): 609–17.Google Scholar
Lovenduski, Joni. 2005. Feminizing Politics. Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Macdonald, Stuart Elaine. 1987. “Political Ambition and Attainment: A Dynamic Analysis of Parliamentary Careers.” PhD diss., University of Michigan.Google Scholar
Maestas, Cherie D., Fulton, Sarah, Maisel, L. Sandy, and Stone, Walter J.. 2006. “When to Risk It? Institutions, Ambitions, and the Decision to Run for the U.S. House.” American Political Science Review 100 (2): 195208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mansbridge, Jane. 1999. “Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent ‘Yes.’Journal of Politics 61 (3): 628–57.Google Scholar
Mayer, Jeremy D., and Schmidt, Heather M.. 2004. “Gendered Political Socialization in Four Contexts: Political Interest and Values among Junior High School Students in China, Japan, Mexico and the United States.” Social Science Journal 41 (3): 393407.Google Scholar
McKay, Joanna. 2011. “‘Having it All?’ Women MPs and Motherhood in Germany and the UK.” Parliamentary Affairs 64 (4): 714–36.Google Scholar
Mestre, Tània Verge, and Marín, Raül Tormos. 2012. “La persistencia de las diferencias de género en el interés por la política.” Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas 138 (1): 89108.Google Scholar
Molina, Óscar, and Rhodes, Martin. 2007. “Conflict, Complementarities and Institutional Change in Mixed Market Economies.” In Beyond Varieties of Capitalism: Conflict, Contradictions, and Complementarities in the European Economy, eds. Hancké, Bob, Rhodes, Martin, and Thatcher, Mark. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 223–52.Google Scholar
Mueller, Stephen L., and Dato-On, Mary Conway. 2008. “Gender-Role Orientation as a Determinant of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy.” Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship 13 (1): 320.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa, and Lovenduski, Joni. 1995. Political Recruitment: Gender, Race and Class in the British Parliament. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Oláh, Livia Sz., and Bernhardt, Eva. 2008. “Sweden: Combining Childbearing and Gender Equality.” Demographic Research 19 (28): 1105–44.Google Scholar
Palmer, Barbara, and Simon, Dennis. 2003. “Political Ambition and Women in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1916–2000.” Political Research Quarterly 56 (2): 127–38.Google Scholar
Phillips, Anne. 1995. The Politics of Presence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Psacharopoulos, George, and Tzannatos, Zafiris. 1989. “Female Labor Force Participation: An International Perspective.” World Bank Research Observer 4 (2): 187201.Google Scholar
Rehavi, M. Marit. 2008. “Sex and Politics: Do Female Legislators Affect State Spending?” Mimeo, University of California, Berkeley.Google Scholar
Reynolds, Andrew. 1999. “Women in the Legislatures and Executives of the World: Knocking at the Highest Glass Ceiling.” World Politics 51 (4): 547–72.Google Scholar
Royo, Sebastián. 2008. Varieties of Capitalism in Spain. Remaking the Spanish Economy for the New Century. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Sartori, Giovanni, et al. 1963. Il parliamentoitaliano. Napoli: ESI.Google Scholar
Schlesinger, Joseph A. 1966. Ambition and Politics: Political Careers in the United States. Chicago: Rand McNally.Google Scholar
Schlesinger, Joseph A. 1994. Political Parties and the Winning of Office. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Schmidt, Vivien A. 2009. “Putting the Political Back into Political Economy by Bringing the State Back in Yet Again.” World Politics 61 (3): 516–46.Google Scholar
Schwindt-Bayer, Leslie A. 2006. “Still Supermadres? Gender and the Policy Priorities of Latin American Legislators.” American Journal of Political Science 50 (3): 570–85.Google Scholar
Schwindt-Bayer, Leslie A. 2011. “Women Who Win: Social Backgrounds, Paths to Power, and Political Ambition in Latin American Legislatures.” Politics & Gender 7 (1): 133.Google Scholar
Stevens, Anne. 2007. Women, Power and Politics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Stone, Walter J., and Maisel, L. Sandy. 2003. “The Not-So-Simple Calculus of Winning: Potential U.S. House Candidates’ Nomination and General Election Prospects.” Journal of Politics 65 (4): 951–77.Google Scholar
Svallfors, Stefan. 2006. The Moral Economy of Class: Class and Attitudes in Comparative Perspective. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teorell, Jan, Dahlberg, Stefan, Holmberg, Sören, Rothstein, Bo, Hartmann, Felix, and Svensson, Richard. 2015. “The Quality of Government Standard Dataset,” v. Jan15. University of Gothenburg, Quality of Government Institute. http://www.qog.pol.gu.se (accessed June 29, 2016).Google Scholar
Valiente, Celia. 2000. “Reconciliation policies in Spain.” In Gendered Policies in Europe: Reconciling Employment and Family Life, ed. Hantrais, Linda. London: Macmillan, 143–59.Google Scholar
Vanlangenakker, Ine, Wauters, Bram, and Maddens, Bart. 2013. “Pushed Toward the Exit? How Female MPs Leave Parliament.” Politics & Gender 9 (1): 6175.Google Scholar
Witt, Linda, Paget, Karen M., and Matthews, Glenna. 1995. Running as a Woman: Gender and Power in American Politics. New York: Simon &Schuster.Google Scholar
Wolak, Jennifer, and McDevitt, Michael. 2011. “The Roots of the Gender Gap in Political Knowledge in Adolescence.” Political Behavior 33 (3): 505–33.Google Scholar
Young, Lisa. 2000. Feminists and Party Politics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Galais supplementary material

Online Appendix

Download Galais supplementary material(File)
File 21.2 KB