‘The first, but not the last’: women’s descriptive and substantive representation in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election
‘The first, but not the last’: women’s descriptive and substantive representation in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election
The 2021 Scottish Parliament election delivered the most diverse range of MSPs in Holyrood’s history, including a record number of women. We situate the 2021 election within its wider context, evaluating dynamics of party feminisation over time. Drawing on original candidate data and analysis of party manifestos across the main Scottish parties, we assess parties’ substantive appeals to women voters; the integration of different groups of women as candidates, MSPs and leaders; and the adoption and implementation of gender quotas. We find evidence of descriptive and substantive party feminisation in Scotland over time—including increases in both the amount and diversity of party manifesto pledges directed at women voters; improvements in the number and diversity of women selected and elected; and the increasing diffusion of, and inter-party competition over, gender quota measures. Yet we also find that progress has been uneven across parties and that some groups of women continue to be descriptively and substantively under-represented in Scottish politics.
Candidate selection, Gender quotas, Party feminisation, Party manifestos, Scottish Parliament, Women’s representation
430-449
Belknap, Emilia
66f43d74-cefc-4ca8-a8a3-cbacaf19fdf1
Kenny, Meryl
6d981747-0488-4463-aa5a-1135ff3d71bb
September 2024
Belknap, Emilia
66f43d74-cefc-4ca8-a8a3-cbacaf19fdf1
Kenny, Meryl
6d981747-0488-4463-aa5a-1135ff3d71bb
Belknap, Emilia and Kenny, Meryl
(2024)
‘The first, but not the last’: women’s descriptive and substantive representation in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.
British Politics, 19 (3), .
(doi:10.1057/s41293-023-00246-x).
Abstract
The 2021 Scottish Parliament election delivered the most diverse range of MSPs in Holyrood’s history, including a record number of women. We situate the 2021 election within its wider context, evaluating dynamics of party feminisation over time. Drawing on original candidate data and analysis of party manifestos across the main Scottish parties, we assess parties’ substantive appeals to women voters; the integration of different groups of women as candidates, MSPs and leaders; and the adoption and implementation of gender quotas. We find evidence of descriptive and substantive party feminisation in Scotland over time—including increases in both the amount and diversity of party manifesto pledges directed at women voters; improvements in the number and diversity of women selected and elected; and the increasing diffusion of, and inter-party competition over, gender quota measures. Yet we also find that progress has been uneven across parties and that some groups of women continue to be descriptively and substantively under-represented in Scottish politics.
Text
s41293-023-00246-x
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 13 October 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 25 November 2023
Published date: September 2024
Keywords:
Candidate selection, Gender quotas, Party feminisation, Party manifestos, Scottish Parliament, Women’s representation
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 496205
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/496205
ISSN: 1746-918X
PURE UUID: 253c5759-c099-44fa-8675-938986b985bb
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Date deposited: 06 Dec 2024 17:48
Last modified: 07 Dec 2024 03:15
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Author:
Emilia Belknap
Author:
Meryl Kenny
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