Gender Equity of Perceived Career and Influence Opportunities among Political Elites

The Case of Swedish Parliamentarians

Bibliographic Data

ID2235446
AuthorsJenny Hansson (0000-0001-9174-8089, European University Institute, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume27
Issue3
Pages307-326
Publication date2011-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Sociological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0266-7215 • E-ISSN: 1468-2672
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/esr/jcq009
OpenAlexW2058138765
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited38

Under which conditions is gender equity accomplished in terms of career and influence opportunities among elites ? We hypothesize that an equal distribution of home/family sphere work demands, in combination with equal levels of person–environment ‘fit’ between men and women in the organization, contributes to gender equity in terms of (intra-organizational) career success, in turn enabling gender equity of influence possibilities among elite-positioned individuals. We further argue that for such equal gender distributions to occur in the first place, a welfare state setting that encourages equal divisions of private/public labour between the genders (i), and an organization containing a ‘balanced’ gender group proportion (ii), need to be evident. The theoretical propositions are integrated into a conceptual model and its individual-level dimensions are then tested empirically. We use a unique dataset covering one of the few existing elite populations situated in a context where the two identified macro conditions (i and ii) are evident. The model is tested on survey data from a total population of Swedish National Parliamentarians (with a remarkably high 83 per cent response rate), using structural equation modelling (SEM). The model fits well with data ( P = 0.23) and the main hypotheses are confirmed. Adding additional control variables does not change the initial results.

Equity (law) · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Studies · Law · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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