N04 - Feminism and Gender Gaps
Date: Jun 12 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location: 680 Sherbrooke St. West 1051
Cultural Sources of Gender Gaps: Confucian Meritocracy Reduces Gender Inequalities in Political Participation: Baowen Liang (Université de Montréal)
Abstract: East Asian women’s political participation has not kept pace with the region’s economic development. This discrepancy is often attributed to the influence of Confucian culture, which emphasizes hierarchy, order, and obedience. However, this study seeks to add nuance to this perspective by highlighting how certain elements of Confucianism, such as meritocracy, may actually empower modern-day East Asian women. The research focuses on the Chinese context, particularly the historically significant Confucian-based meritocratic institution known as the civil examination system (keju). The primary hypothesis examined in this study is that historical meritocratic legacies can have a lasting impact on contemporary behavior, specifically by reducing the gender gap in political participation in local village elections. To test this hypothesis, data from historical archives and the China General Social Survey are utilized, and it is found that there is a negative correlation between the performance of a prefecture’s ancestors in the keju exams and the gender gap in village election turnout among present-day respondents. This suggests that the legacy of meritocracy might contribute to bridging the gender gap in political participation among East Asian women.
Beyond Backlash: Theorizing the Intersection of Feminism and Conservatism in Canada: Kelly Gordon (McGill University)
Abstract: Susan Faludi's popularization of the concept of "political backlash" in 1991 marked a pivotal moment in contemporary theorizations of political struggle and resistance. Since, backlash has been applied to analyze a wide range of political contexts, including race relations, religious conservatism, judicial decision-making, LGBTQ rights, and immigration.
This paper contends that while the concept of backlash is broadly employed to analyze various forms of politics, it holds particular significance in the stories that feminists tell about conservatism. As Thomas (2008) argues, backlash has become “a centrally important concept for analyzing women’s current political status and future opportunities.” Indeed, over the last three decades, the "conservatism as backlash" narrative has become a dominant paradigm within feminist theories and academic research, theorizing conservatism as a form of political resistance aimed at women and feminism.
The paper explores the prevalence of the feminist "conservatism as backlash" narrative in two parts. The first section draws on a systematic analysis of feminist scholarship published on Canadian conservatism since 2006 to highlight the narrative's hegemonic influence in discussions about feminism's interaction with Canadian conservatism. The second part argues that while framing conservatism as backlash offers valuable insights, backlash theory often falls short because it cannot account for non-backlash manifestations of conservatism. Backlash theories often depict conservatism and feminism as opposing ideologies, neglecting their interdependent capacity to shape each other's ideological and political trajectories. This limitation underscores the need for a more nuanced understanding of conservatism's multifaceted and interconnected nature, particularly in its relationship with feminism.
Narrowing the Gender Gap in Expert Opinion Research: Supporting Women in Politics to Participate in Interviews and Surveys: Jeni Armstrong (Carleton University), Anna Lennox Esselment (University of Waterloo), Alex Marland (Acadia University)
Abstract: What can scholars do to increase response rates among women in politics who are invited to share their views and experiences via in-depth interviews and expert opinion surveys? Women have longstanding experience in political movements of various kinds, and more women than ever are elected to legislatures and hold senior roles in political and government offices, but they typically remain cautious when invited to participate in expert opinion research. This paper advances methodological thinking about why women working in the political realm are often less likely than men to engage with this branch of research and considers the ways that researchers can tailor recruitment efforts to narrow the gender gap. We begin by summarizing the barriers that women, including racially diverse women, in professional settings confront when they are invited for a research interview or to complete a questionnaire, which may be related to barriers for their engagement in politics generally. Next, we glean insights from studies on the latter, and review literature about best practices for recruiting diverse women in research studies. We then present findings from in-depth interviews with approximately 24 Canadian women (including 8-12 racialized women and a half-dozen Francophone women) with experience as an election candidate, campaign manager, party official, parliamentarian, political strategist or consultant, community activist and/or political staff. We outline the particular circumstances that they face in politics that encumber their participation and identify best practices for conducting expert opinion surveys and in-depth interviews with them. The paper offers timely insights about collecting data from politicians and political operatives in a tempestuous environment where they guard against comments going viral; where staff gatekeepers increasingly insulate politicians; where political marketing is pervasive yet secretive; where partisans on the political right can be hostile towards universities and colleges; and where online information about researchers can influence participation rates. Many of the findings can be applied to other workplaces and disciplines.
Gender and Legislative Committees in Africa: A Study of Rwanda and South Africa: Saaka Sulemana Saaka (University of Calgary), Abiba Yayah (University of Calgary)
Abstract: Legislative committee assignments are multifaceted, influenced by determinants such as prevailing gender dynamics and the prestige of the committee. Drawing on insights from the existing literature on legislatures, we formulate and test two hypotheses on the credentials and patterns of assigning members of parliament to committees in Rwanda and South Africa. Using an original dataset comprising 1,286 committee members across two consecutive legislative sessions between 2010 and 2023, we find that despite being equally educated and professionally qualified as their male counterparts, women are disproportionately assigned to low-prestige committees. This paper contributes to our understanding of how work in legislative committees is influenced by gender roles, suggesting deeply rooted societal norms.