Visible and Invisible (Male) Faces of Local Power in the United States

• In Event: Gender in Local and Rural Political Contexts

Abstract

Policymaking occurs across a wide variety of settings, including appointed boards and commissions, with power concentrated in the hands of white men with access to financial resources. Previous research focuses on the ways that women, people of color, and the working classes are excluded from highly-visible forms of power like elected office. Here, we focus on less-visible forms of power through an evaluation of women’s representation on local appointed boards and commissions. We first document women’s representation on these boards, which exist in every US city. We then examine how mayoral, city, and board characteristics shapes the levels of representation of women. Using several underexplored interventions, we evaluate how state and local level gender quotas and non-profit training programs might ameliorate the observed gender imbalance in board composition. Our results speak to the hidden pathways of power, the persistence of gender inequality, and the importance of studying gender inequalities in local politics.

Authors

• Mirya R. Holman, Tulane University

• Lakshmi Iyer, University of Notre Dame

• Christina Wolbrecht, University of Notre Dame