Less but better? The influence of gender on political activity

In this article, we study gender differences in the activity and effectiveness of French parliamentarians between 1993 and 2022. Using fixed-effect regressions and RDD strategies based on close elections, we find that women are more active than men when we consider reports and oral questions but less active regarding bills, amendments and oral interventions. The gender gap for bills is observed only for newcomers and fades after a few years, suggesting a behavioral explanation rather than a selection effect. Regarding effectiveness, each term, 46 amendments authored by women pass, whereas 33 of the men's amendments pass. This difference is larger in the opposition group. This is mostly due to the use and quality of their amendments, with men being more prone to obstructive behaviors. On the other hand, women in the opposition party are less likely to have their bills passed than men in the opposition party. This is linked to discrimination within the party, which less often selects bills drafted by women to submit them to a vote.