Are Female MPs More Leftist Than Their Male Colleagues?

• In Event: Gendering Party Politics

Abstract

Are female MPs more leftist than their male colleagues? An analysis of
European Twitter data

Do female MPs across Europe hold more leftist views than their male
counterparts? We know that female voters tend to have more leftist
preferences than men across most European countries. However, we know
less about whether these differences also extend to elected members of
parliament. Based on an analysis of millions of tweets by MPs across
Western Europe, I investigate whether female and male politicians hold
systematically different views, and whether these differences vary
across countries and party families. The results of this study will
have implications for our understanding of women's descriptive and
substantive representation.

Author

• Jonathan Homola, Rice University