Women as policymakers do make a difference

a column by Thushyanthan Baskaran and Zohal Hessami for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal

The fact that women are underrepresented in politics is often viewed as an important social problem. But why should it be a problem?

This column argues that when too few women hold political office, political decisions may not adequately reflect women’s needs and preferences.

Using the example of the public provision of childcare in Germany, it shows that municipalities with a higher share of female councillors expand public childcare more quickly. The fact that the presence of women has substantive effects on policies should be taken into account in current debates around the introduction of gender quotas in politics.


Note: Based on World Bank’s World Development Indicators. Darker shades indicate a larger proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments.  

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Labels:
policy-making, childcare, Germany, gender, women_politicians,

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