Becoming a Chair in Standard-Setting Committees: Does Gender Matter? Empirical Evidence From Canada

Countries set up Mirror Committees to represent their interests and vote in favor of decisions that will benefit their economies during international standards development. Chairs in those committees play a critical role in shaping the outcome of standardization processes, which may not be gender-responsive. Yet, empirical studies on the relationship between gender and leadership positions in standardization have been scant. This paper fills this gap using the 2019 Standards Council of Canada Members' Satisfaction Survey and logistic regressions. We find that women members of Canadian Mirror Committees are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to serve as chairs. However, among committee members, experience or number of years of service increases the likelihood of taking up leadership positions, particularly for women who are visible minorities. These findings have important policy implications regarding the reduction of gender disparities in standardization, intersectionality, and the retention and training of women in standard development activities.