Unequal Steps Up the Ladder in Party Organization

Are Bourdieu’s Personal Capitals Gender-Neutral?

Bibliographic Data

ID24229220
AuthorsPaola Bordandini (0000-0003-0573-4153, University of Bologna), Rosa Mulè (0000-0003-2506-6850, University of Bologna), L Sartori (0000-0002-4490-6686, University of Bologna)
Year2026
Publication date2026-09-24
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Politics International Studies in Gender State & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1072-4745 • E-ISSN: 1468-2893
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/sp/jxag051
OpenAlexW7214298342
LanguageEN
References cited49

This paper examines gender differences in career advancement within party organizations, using Bourdieu’s theory on the role of personal capitals in upward mobility. We contribute to the literature on women’s chronic minority status in politics by testing the gender-neutrality of Bourdieu’s capital types (economic, cultural, and social). Our analysis draws on a unique dataset of 5,653 party delegates from twenty-two national congresses in Italy (2004–2019). Results show that personal capitals do not impact female and male delegates equally. Women, especially those with high cultural capital, are less likely to move up the ladder. Parties, as male-dominated institutions, tend to promote women with lower cultural capital, perhaps viewing them as more malleable. Our findings suggest that women face a “double barrier”—external and internal to parties—resulting in “double damage” that limits their chances of reaching leadership positions within political parties.

Career development · Cultural capital · double barrier · Economic capital · Italian political parties · party delegates · party leadership · personal capital · Pierre Bourdieu · Social capital · upward mobility · Women in politics · Gender and Feminist Studies · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Politics and Representation

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