Mind the gap: Do proportional electoral systems foster a more equal representation of women and men, poor and rich?

Bernauer, Julian; Giger, Nathalie; Rosset, Jan (2015). Mind the gap: Do proportional electoral systems foster a more equal representation of women and men, poor and rich? International Political Science Review, 36(1), pp. 78-98. Sage 10.1177/0192512113498830

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Female gender and low income are two markers for groups that have been historically disadvantaged within most societies. The study explores two research questions related to their political representation: (1) ‘Are parties biased towards the ideological preferences of male and rich citizens?’; and (2) ‘Does the proportionality of the electoral system moderate the degree of under-representation of women and poor citizens in the party system?’ A multilevel analysis of survey data from 24 parliamentary democracies indicates that there is some bias against those with low income and, at a much smaller rate, women. This has systemic consequences for the quality of representation, as the preferences of the complementary groups differ. The proportionality of the electoral system influences the degree of under-representation: specifically, larger district magnitudes help in closing the considerable gap between rich and poor.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	03 Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Institute of Political Science
UniBE Contributor:	Bernauer, Julian
Subjects:	300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 320 Political science
ISSN:	0192-5121
Publisher:	Sage
Language:	English
Submitter:	Julian Bernauer
Date Deposited:	26 May 2014 08:42
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:34
Publisher DOI:	10.1177/0192512113498830
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Gender inequality, ideological congruence, income inequality, multilevel regression, proportional representation
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/52811