Collaborative Research: Women as Leaders, Policy-Makers, and Symbols

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

Women have long been denied access to the most powerful political posts, particularly prestigious cabinet positions within the executive branch. This project examines the causes and consequences of women’s exclusion from, and appointment to, three of the most powerful cabinet posts: defense, interior/home affairs, and foreign affairs. These prominent positions policy influence and it is thus vital to explain when, why, and how women access these portfolios, as well as to understand how women’s inclusion shapes policies that are central to the functioning of the state. The central claim of this project is that women’s presence in political office shapes, and is shaped by, beliefs about the policy responsibilities of the position. Though each of the portfolios studied has distinct responsibilities, they share a focus on security (i.e., protecting the state from domestic and international threats). The first set of hypotheses posits that women access the inner cabinet when the portfolios’ focus expands beyond traditionally masculine policy arenas (such as terrorism and war) to emphasize issues like peacekeeping and human rights. The second set of hypotheses suggests that male and female ministers’ policy priorities are largely explained by the conditions that bring women into (or keep them out of) office, rather than innate gender differences. The third set of hypotheses posits that the appointment of female ministers affects citizens’ beliefs about the aims and prestige of these positions and informs their levels of trust and confidence in the minister, the ministry, and the state. This project thus advances the scientific study of women’s political representation by collecting original data to test these hypotheses. This project offers the first worldwide study of women in the inner cabinet and a framework for assessing the causes and consequences of women’s access to male-dominated posts in other realms. In doing so, the project develops a new framework for explaining when women access traditionally masculine domains and how their pathways to power affect policy outcomes and citizens’ relationship to the state, we well as compiles a global database on women’s cabinet appointments and policy outputs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.