invitent à une
The Institute of Canadian Studies and the Institute of Women's Studies
invite you to a
Causerie du midi / Brown Bag Lunch
DATE: Jeudi 2 avril / Thursday April 2nd
HEURE / TIME: MIDI / NOON
OÙ / WHERE: Institut d'études canadiennes /
Institute of Canadian Studies
52, rue Université, pièce 108 /
52 University Room 108
Informal Influences in Selecting Female Political Candidates
Conférencières / Lecturers: Christine Cheng and Margit Tavits
This paper is about the role of informal influences in the electoral
success of women. We argue that the gender composition of party
gatekeepers - those responsible for candidate recruitment - plays a
crucial role in either encouraging or discouraging women candidates to
run for office. Using an original dataset that includes constituency
level information for all parties and candidates in the 2004 and 2006
Canadian national elections, we find support for this proposition.
Women candidates are more likely to be nominated when the gatekeeper -
the local party president - is a woman rather than a man. We also find
an additional surprising effect: female candidates are more likely in
constituencies that have historically fielded a high proportion of
female candidates. The results underline the importance of informal
factors and their resulting effect on women's political
under-representation.
Christine Cheng is a doctoral student in politics at Nuffield College,
University of Oxford. She is currently the Cadieux-Léger Fellow at the
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Margit Tavits is an Assistant Professor Political Science at
Washington University in St.Louis.
Conférence en anglais / Lecture in English
Entrée libre - Free Admission
Pour de plus amples renseignements, prière de contacter Jean-Marc
Thibault, à 613-562-5800, poste 3672, OU Hélène Boudreault, à
613-520-6644 / For more information, please contact Jean-Marc
Thibault, at 613-562-5800, poste 3672, OR Hélène Boudreault, at
613-520-6644
