Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T09:11:23.543Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Electing to Do Women's Work? Gendered Divisions of Labor in U.K. Select Committees, 1979–2016

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2020

Mark Goodwin Open the ORCID record for Mark Goodwin [Opens in a new window] ,
Stephen Holden Bates Open the ORCID record for Stephen Holden Bates [Opens in a new window]  and
Stephen McKay Open the ORCID record for Stephen McKay [Opens in a new window]
Mark Goodwin
Affiliation:
Coventry University
Stephen Holden Bates
Affiliation:
University of Birmingham
Stephen McKay
Affiliation:
University of Lincoln
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Where female representatives are located within legislatures and what they do matters for the substantive representation of women. Previous scholarship has found that female parliamentary committee members participate differently than their male counterparts in relation to both policy area and status of positions held. Here, we draw on an original time-series data set (n = 9,767) to analyze the U.K. select committee system. We test for the impact of four variables previously found to be important in explaining changes in gendered divisions of labor: the system of appointment/election, the proportion of female representatives in the legislature, sharp increases in the number of female representatives, and changes in government from right-wing parties to left-wing parties. We find that horizontal and vertical divisions of labor persist over time and that membership patterns in the United Kingdom mainly correspond to those found elsewhere. Moreover, there is little evidence that any of the four variables have systematically affected membership patterns.

Keywords

Gendered division of laborHouse of CommonsMPsParliamentselect committeeswomen in politics
Type
Research Article
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , December 2021 , pp. 607 - 639
Copyright
Copyright © The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Earlier iterations of this article were presented at the 2018 BRIDGE Workshop on Committees in Comparative Perspective in Brussels and at the 2017 Political Studies Association Conference in Glasgow. We would like to thank the participants at these events for their helpful discussions, and the Birmingham-Illinois Partnership for Discovery, Engagement and Education (BRIDGE) for its financial assistance. We are grateful to Emma Foster, Nicki Smith, the editors of this journal, and the two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments on earlier versions of the article. This research was supported by the British Academy (SQ140007).

References

REFERENCES

Acker, Joan. 1992. Gendering Organizational Theory. In Gendering Organizational Analysis, eds. Mills, Albert J. and Tancred, Peta. London: Sage, 248–60.Google Scholar
Baekgaard, Martin, and Kjaer, Ulrik. 2012. “The Gendered Division of Labor in Assignments to Political Committees: Discrimination or Self-Selection in Danish Local Politics?” Politics & Gender 8 (4): 465–82.10.1017/S1743923X12000499CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, Tiffany D., and O'Brien, Diana Z.. 2018. “Defending the Realm: The Appointment of Female Defense Ministers Worldwide.” American Journal of Political Science 62 (2): 355–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bates, Stephen R. 2010. “Re-structuring Power.” Polity 42 (3): 352–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bates, Stephen, Goodwin, Mark, and McKay, Stephen. 2017. “Do UK MPs engage more with Select Committees since the Wright Reforms? An Interrupted Time Series Analysis, 1979–2016.” Parliamentary Affairs 70 (4): 780–800.10.1093/pa/gsx007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bauer, Gretchen, and Tremblay, Manon, eds. 2011. Women in Executive Power: A Global Overview. London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckwith, Karen, and Cowell-Meyers, Kimberly. 2007. “Sheer Numbers: Critical Representation Thresholds and Women's Political Representation.” Perspectives on Politics 5 (3): 553–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjarnegård, Elin. 2013. Gender, Informal Institutions and Political Recruitment: Explaining Male Dominance in Parliamentary Representation. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolzendahl, Catherine. 2014. “The Gendered Organization of Legislative Committees in Germany, Sweden, and the United States.” Gender & Society 28 (6): 847–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bosetti, Valentina, Cattaneo, Cristina, and Verdolini, Elena. 2015. “Migration of Skilled Workers and Innovation: A European Perspective.” Journal of International Economics 96 (2): 311–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A., and Ray, Leonard P.. 2002. “Descriptive Representation, Policy Outcomes, and Municipal Day-Care Coverage in Norway.” American Journal of Political Science 46 (2): 428–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brazier, Alex, and Fox, Ruth. 2011. “Reviewing Select Committee Tasks and Modes of Operation.” Parliamentary Affairs 64 (2): 354–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bulpitt, Jim. 1983. Territory and Power in the United Kingdom. Manchester: Manchester University Press.Google Scholar
Campbell, Rosie, Childs, Sarah, and Lovenduski, Joni 2010. “Do Women Need Women Representatives?” British Journal of Political Science 40 (1): 171–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carroll, Susan. 2008. “Committee Assignments: Discrimination or Choice?” In Legislative Women: Getting Elected, Getting Ahead, ed. Reingold, Beth. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 135–56.Google Scholar
Celis, Karen. 2008. “Studying Women's Substantive Representation in Legislatures: When Representative Acts, Contexts and Women's Interests Become Important.” Representation 44 (2): 111–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Celis, Karen. 2012. “On Substantive Representation, Diversity, and Responsiveness.” Politics & Gender 8 (4): 524–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chappell, Louise. 2006. “Comparing Political Institutions: Revealing the Gendered ‘Logic of Appropriateness.’” Politics & Gender 2 (2): 223–35.Google Scholar
Childs, Sarah. 2006. “The Complicated Relationship between Sex, Gender and the Substantive Representation of Women.” European Journal of Women's Studies 13 (1): 7–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Childs, Sarah, and Krook, Mona Lena. 2006. “Should Feminists Give Up on Critical Mass? A Contingent Yes.” Politics & Gender 2 (4): 522–30.Google Scholar
Childs, Sarah, and Withey, Julie. 2004. “Women Representatives Acting for Women: Sex and the Signing of Early Day Motions in the 1997 British Parliament.” Political Studies 52 (3): 552–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Childs, Sarah, and Withey, Julie. 2006. “The Substantive Representation of Women: The Case of the Reduction of VAT on Sanitary Products.” Parliamentary Affairs 59 (1): 10–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clopper, C. J., and Pearson, E. S.. 1934. “The Use of Confidence or Fiducial Limits Illustrated in the Case of the Binomial.” Biometrika 26 (4): 404–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Considine, Mark, and Deutchman, Iva Ellen. 1994. “The Gendering of Political Institutions: A Comparison of American and Australian State Legislators.” Social Science Quarterly 75 (4): 854–66.Google Scholar
Cowell-Meyers, Kimberly, and Langbein, Laura. 2009. “Linking Women's Descriptive and Substantive Representation in the United States.” Politics & Gender 5 (4): 491–518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahlerup, Drude. 1988. “From a Small to a Large Minority: Women in Scandinavian Politics.” Scandinavian Political Studies 11 (4): 275–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darcy, R. 1996. “Women in the State Legislative Power Structure: Committee Chairs.” Social Science Quarterly 77 (4): 888–98.Google Scholar
Elshtain, Jean. 1981. Public Man, Private Woman: Women in Social and Political Thought. Oxford: Martin Robinson.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Escobar-Lemmon, Maria C., and Taylor-Robinson, Michelle M.. 2005. “Women Ministers in Latin American Government: When, Where, and Why?” American Journal of Political Science 49 (4): 829–45.10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00158.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Escobar-Lemmon, Maria C., and Taylor-Robinson, Michelle M.. 2016. Women in Presidential Cabinets: Power Players or Abundant Tokens? New York: Oxford University Press.10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190491420.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Escobar-Lemmon, Maria C., Schwindt-Bayer, Leslie A., and Taylor-Robinson, Michelle M.. 2014. “Representing Women: Empirical Insights from Legislatures and Cabinets in Latin America.” In Representation: The Case of Women, eds. Escobar-Lemmon, Maria C. and Taylor-Robinson, Michelle M.. New York: Oxford University Press, 205–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fisher, Lucy. 2015. “The Growing Power and Autonomy of House of Commons SCs: Causes and Effects.” Political Quarterly 86 (3): 419–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frisch, Scott A., and Kelly, Sean Q. 2004. “Self-Selection Reconsidered: House Committee Assignment Requests and Constituency Characteristics.” Political Research Quarterly 57 (2): 325–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Funk, Kendall D., Morales, Laura, and Taylor-Robinson, Michelle M.. 2017. “The Impact of Committee Composition and Agendas on Women's Participation: Evidence from a Legislature with Near Numerical Equality.” Politics & Gender 13 (2): 253–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaines, Brian J., Goodwin, Mark, Bates, Stephen Holden, and Sin, Gisela. 2019. “Conclusion: Prospects for Analysing Committees in Comparative Perspective.” Journal of Legislative Studies 25 (3): 434–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodwin, Mark, Bates, Stephen Holden, and McKay, Steve. 2019. “UK House of Commons Select Committee Data Archive.” http://osf.io/ywgh5 (accessed December 11, 2019).Google Scholar
Hall, Peter A., and Taylor, Rosemary C. R.. 1996. “Political Science and the Three New Institutionalisms.” Political Studies 44 (5): 936–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heath, Roseanna, Schwindt-Bayer, Leslie A., and Taylor-Robinson, Michelle M.. 2005. “Women on the Sidelines: Women's Representation on Committees in Latin American Legislatures.” American Journal of Political Science 49 (2): 420–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helmke, Gretchen, and Levitsky, Steven. 2004. “Informal Institutions and Comparative Politics: A Research Agenda.” Perspectives on Politics 2 (4): 725–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hong, Lu, and Page, Scott E.. 2004. “Groups of Diverse Problem-Solvers Can Outperform Groups of High-Ability Problem Solvers.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101 (46): 16385–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. 1977. Men and Women of the Corporation. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Kenny, Meryl. 2007. “Gender, Institutions and Power: A Critical Review.” Politics 27 (2): 91–100.10.1111/j.1467-9256.2007.00284.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, Meryl. 2014. “A Feminist Institutionalist Approach.” Politics & Gender 10 (4): 679–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krook, Mona Lena. 2009. Quotas for Women in Politics: Gender and Candidate Selection Reform Worldwide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375671.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krook, Mona Lena, and Mackay, Fiona, eds. 2011. Gender, Politics and Institution: Towards a Feminist Institutionalism. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krook, Mona Lena, and O'Brien, Diana Z.. 2012. “All the President's Men? The Appointment of Female Cabinet Ministers Worldwide.” Journal of Politics 74 (3): 840–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Layder, Derek. 1994. “Power, Structure and Agency.” In Power: Critical Concepts, ed. Scott, John. London: Routledge, 371–90.Google Scholar
Liaison Committee. 2000. Shifting the Balance: SCs and the Executive. First Report of Session 1999–2000. HC 300. London: The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Lovenduski, Joni. 1998. “Gendering Research in Political Science.” Annual Review of Political Science 1: 333–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lovenduski, Joni. 2012. “Feminising British Politics.” Political Quarterly 83 (4): 697–702.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lovenduski, Joni, and Norris, Pippa. 2003. “Westminster Women: The Politics of Presence.” Political Studies 51 (1): 84–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowndes, Vivian. 2014. “How Are Things Done around Here? Uncovering Institutional Rules and Their Gendered Effects.” Politics & Gender 10 (4): 685–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luke, Darcy, and Bates, Stephen. 2015. “Using Critical Realism to Explain Indeterminacy in Role Behaviour Systematically.” Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour 45 (3): 331–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackay, Fiona, Kenny, Meryl, and Chappell, Louise. 2010. “New Institutionalism through a Gender Lens: Towards a Feminist Institutionalism?” International Political Science Review 31 (5): 573–88.10.1177/0192512110388788CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackay, Fiona, and Waylen, Georgina. 2014. “Gendering ‘New’ Institutions.” Politics & Gender 10 (4): 489–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
March, James G., and Olsen, Johan P.. 1984. “The New Institutionalism: Organizational Factors in Political Life.” American Political Science Review 78 (2): 734–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKay, Steve, Goodwin, Mark, and Bates, Stephen Holden. 2019. “A Means to an End and an End in Itself: Select Committee Membership, Parliamentary Roles and Parliamentary Careers, 1979–Present.” Parliamentary Affairs 72 (4): 799–820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, Rainbow, and Sénac, Réjane. 2018. “Explaining Gender Gaps in Legislative Committees.” Journal of Women, Politics and Policy 39 (3): 310–35.10.1080/1554477X.2018.1477397CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Brien, Diana Z. 2012. “Gender and SC Elections in the British House of Commons.” Politics & Gender 8 (2): 178–204.10.1017/S1743923X12000153CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ostrom, Elinor. 1990. Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ottaviano, Gianmarco I. P., and Peri, Giovanni. 2006. “The Economic Value of Cultural Diversity: Evidence from US Cities.” Journal of Economic Geography 6 (1): 9–44.10.1093/jeg/lbi002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Outshoorn, Joyce, and Kantola, Johanna, eds. 2007. Changing State Feminism. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pansardi, Pamela, and Vercesi, Michaelangelo. 2017. “Party Gate-Keeping and Women's Appointment to Parliamentary Committees: Evidence from the Italian Case.” Parliamentary Affairs 70 (1): 62–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, Anne. 1995. The Politics of Presence. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Piscopo, Jennifer M. 2011. “Rethinking Descriptive Representation: Rendering Women in Legislative Debates.” Parliamentary Affairs 64 (3): 448–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pitkin, Hanna Fenichel. 1967. The Concept of Representation. Berkeley: University of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raaum, Nina C. 1995. “The Political Representation of Women: A Bird's Eye View.” In Women in Nordic Politics—Closing the Gap, eds. Karvonen, Lauri and Selle, Per. London: Dartmouth, 25–58.Google Scholar
Rai, Shirin M., and Johnson, Rachel E.. 2014. Democracy in Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Reynolds, Andrew. 1999. “Women in the Legislatures and Executives of the World: Knocking at the Highest Glass Ceiling.” World Politics 51 (4): 547–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodríguez, Victoria E. 2003. Women in Contemporary Mexican Politics. Austin: University of Texas Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, Meg, and Benton, Meghan. 2011. Selective Influence: The Policy Impact of House of Commons Select Committees. Constitution Unit, Department of Political Science, University College of London. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/sites/constitution-unit/files/153.pdf (accessed November 20, 2019).Google Scholar
Russell, Meg, and Benton, Meghan. 2013. “Assessing the Impact of Parliamentary Oversight Committees: The Select Committees in the British House of Commons.” Parliamentary Affairs 66 (4): 772–99.Google Scholar
Russell, Meg, and Gover, Daniel. 2017. Legislation at Westminster. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Searing, Donald D. 1994. Westminster's World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Searing, Donald D. 1995. “Backbench and Leadership Roles in the House of Commons.” Parliamentary Affairs 48 (3): 418–37.Google Scholar
Simons, Ned. 2013. “Anna Soubry Appointed First Ever Female MP Defence Minister.” Huffington Post, July 10. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/07/anna-soubry-reshuffle-defence-minister-women_n_4058923.html (accessed November 20, 2019).Google Scholar
Strøm, Kaare. 2003. “Parliamentary Democracy and Delegation.” In Delegation and Accountability in Parliamentary Democracies, eds. Strøm, Kaare, Müller, Wolfgang C., and Bergman, Torbjürn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Studlar, Donley T., and McAllister, Ian. 2002. “Does a Critical Mass Exist? A Comparative Analysis of Women's Legislative Representation since 1950.” European Journal of Political Research 41 (2): 233–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swers, Michelle L. 2005. “Connecting Descriptive and Substantive Representation: An Analysis of Sex Differences in Cosponsorship Activity.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 30 (3): 407–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1994. How Women Legislate. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Thomas, Sue, and Welch, Susan. 1991. “The Impact of Gender on Activities and Priorities of State Legislators.” Western Political Quarterly 44 (2): 445–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wängnerud, Lena. 2009. “Women in Parliaments: Descriptive and Substantive Representation.” Annual Review of Political Science 12: 51–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waylen, Georgina, ed. 2017. Gender and Informal Institutions. London: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Wilson, Sophie. 2017a. “Are MPs Spending More Time on Scrutiny?” Institute for Government, February 7. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/are-mps-spending-more-time-scrutiny (accessed December 11, 2019).Google Scholar
Wilson, Sophie. 2017b. “Women on Select Committees—Has Progress Been Made?” Institute for Government, February 14. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/women-select-committees-has-progress-been-made (accessed December 11, 2019).Google Scholar
Yule, Jean. 2000. “Women Councillors and Committee Recruitment.” Local Government Studies 26 (1): 31–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Goodwin et al. supplementary material

Goodwin et al. supplementary material

Download Goodwin et al. supplementary material(File)
File 319.2 KB