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Internal Versus Institutional Barriers to Gender Equality: Evidence from British Politics

Author

Listed:
  • Noor Kumar
  • Uyseok Lee
  • Matt Lowe
  • Olaitan Ogunnote
  • Matthew Lowe

Abstract

Weekly lotteries determine which politicians ask the UK Prime Minister a question in front of a male-dominated, packed, and noisy chamber. Women are 12% less likely to submit questions than same-cohort men, and this gap does not close with lottery-induced experience asking a question, or with years of service. However, the gender gap almost fully closes after a switch to a format in which questions are asked to a smaller, quieter, audience. The switch differentially draws in women with quieter voices. Our findings support institutional change, rather than adaptation through experience, as a response to gender gaps in adversarial settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Noor Kumar & Uyseok Lee & Matt Lowe & Olaitan Ogunnote & Matthew Lowe, 2024. "Internal Versus Institutional Barriers to Gender Equality: Evidence from British Politics," CESifo Working Paper Series 11358, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11358
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender gap; public speaking; gender norms; politician behaviour;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior

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