Populism and Women’s Political Representation in Eastern European Cabinets

• In Event: Populism and Right-Wing Politics with a Gender Lens

Abstract

In the recent decade, populist mobilization has dramatically changed the European political landscape. Right wing populists are strongest in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) where they have gained access to executive cabinet appointments and led coalitional governments. Previous research has shown that in the early years of democratization, it was right parties that were more likely to promote women’s political representation in cabinets in CEE instead of left parties as in Western Europe. However, no study has assessed the extent to which the recent rise of right-wing populism with its anti-gender discourse has affected women’s cabinet appointments in the region. Existing work demonstrates that populist parties have sought to improve their representation of women voters by strategically promoting female leaders. Using an original data set on the composition of cabinets in 12 CEE countries from 1992 to 2018, I examine if countries with right populist governments are indeed promoting women’s political representation and selecting a larger proportion of female cabinet members than those with mainstream parties. Although it’s arguable that populist parties want to appear egalitarian and supportive of democracy to broaden electoral support and gain legitimacy, their anti-gender policy agendas tell a different story for substantive representation. I test to see whether right populist governments are symbolically appointing women to cabinets and therefore, appointing them to less prestigious cabinet positions than their mainstream counterparts. These findings will help us understand how populists govern especially in Central and Eastern Europe where party ideology is relatively new and populist mobilization has stemmed largely from newly created radicalized mainstream parties established after the fall of communism.

Authors

• Ingrid Bego, Western Carolina University

• Jessica M. Hayden, Western Carolina University