Browsing by Subject "Gender and ethnicity"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Electoral outcomes at the intersection of gender and ethnicity
(2012-10-11) Holmsten, Stephanie S.; Moser, Robert G., 1966-; Krook, Mona L; Hooker, Juliet; Elkins, Zachary; Paxton, Pamela
New and old democracies alike strive to increase the representation of women and ethnic minorities to satisfy ideals about justice or to soothe long held social tensions. Debates about the opportunities and barriers to the election of women and ethnic minorities have produced an extensive literature on the effects of electoral systems and electoral rules on the representation of these groups. Recent work on the intersection of gender and ethnicity has examined the unique situation of minority women. But few studies have examined the relative strength of ethnicity compared to gender as a political cue. And we know very little about the effects that electoral rules that benefit one group have on the potential election of the other. This study examines the intersection of ethnicity and gender within the electoral arena. I examine the effects that electoral rules and the mobilizing strategies of different social categories have on the election of women and ethnic minorities. The project addresses three distinct questions. The first question explores the propensity of women and ethnic minorities to act as voting blocs. Using survey data, I find that ethnic minorities are significantly more likely than women to behave as a voting bloc. The second question explores the relationship between ethnic seats (seats designed to specifically benefit ethnic minorities) and the election of women. Through a cross-national statistical analysis of ethnic seats, I find that minority women share many of the same characteristics as minority men, but minority women gain election primarily through ethnic seats, even more so than minority men. The third question considers the relationship between ethnic parties and the election of women. Using cross-national statistical analysis and with-in case comparisons, I find that electoral incentives to elect women are not as strong for ethnic parties as non-ethnic parties, as women who vote for ethnic parties are just as likely to vote for ethnic parties that elect women as ethnic parties that do not elect women