Voter Reactions to Trajectories of Women’s Representation

• In Event: Mini-Conference on Politics in Post-industrial Societies I: Women, Gender, Labor Markets and Political Structures

Abstract

Existing research on the effects of women's descriptive representation on citizens' attitudes has mainly investigated potential positive effects, namely on the political engagement of women themselves or the perceived legitimacy of outcomes. However, long-term shifts in representation have rarely been theorized as potential causes of societal discontent. It is crucial to consider discontent, as perceptions of relative decline among men and unfulfilled expectations of reaching equality among women have been shown to be powerful sources of resentment. This article brings together research on women's representation with a focus on discontent, social status and backlash. It asks about the consequences of perceived shifts in the gender composition of parliament for political behavior, including voting propensities. Using a survey experiment fielded in Germany, the results show that men do not lash back against women's representation, even if they realize that this means a slightly lower standing for themselves. Furthermore, while women are not too resentful about their currently stagnating descriptive representation, they can still be mobilized to vote for the Greens as a remedy against this stagnation.

Author

• Magdalena Breyer, University of Basel