Gender and Leadership in Executive Branch Politics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6232906 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tiffany D Barnes (0000-0001-6211-3527, 1Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA), Diana Z O’brien (0000-0003-3578-1321, Washington University in St. Louis), Diana Z O''Brien, Diana Z O'Brien (2Department of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; email: [email protected]) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 173-193 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annual Review of Political Science (BOOK_SERIES) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1094-2939 • E-ISSN: 1545-1577 |
| Publisher | Annual Reviews (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1146/annurev-polisci-033123-014634 |
| OpenAlex | W4408098284 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
| References cited | 93 |
Gender influences who has access to power, how leaders behave and are received within institutions, and how institutions are perceived. This review examines gender dynamics in the executive branch, focusing on presidents and prime ministers and their cabinets. We analyze four key areas: access to power, policy priorities, gendered leadership styles, and citizens’ responses. We argue that, despite progress, women remain underrepresented in executive roles, especially as chief executives. Women sometimes bring unique policy interests and leadership styles to the office, but strategic career incentives and institutional constraints shape both men's and women's behavior as leaders. Finally, women's presence in executive positions sends signals about the government, as well as about who is fit to govern and participate in politics. In sum, this review highlights the importance of understanding and addressing these gendered dynamics to move closer to gender equality in the highest levels of political leadership
Executive branch · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Law · Psychology · Public Administration
Left Behind or Left In? Party Ideology and the Gender Gap in Candidate Persistence
Government Spending Shapes the Emergence of Women Candidates for Local Office
More social, less material, more influenced by family ties
Examining the Gendered Narratives in News Coverage of Joyce Banda
When Populists and Radicals Govern
“You Feel That You Can Make a Difference in the World”
Gender and the Reelection of Democratic Leaders
Democratic transitions and international conflict
Hidden Majoritarianism and Women’s Career Progression in Proportional Representation Systems
Partners in government
Female Leadership and the Gendered Impacts of Financial Crises
Partial gender quotas
Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders.
Words matter
Gendered leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic
Staying Tuned
A tough woman around tender men
Gender and generosity
Women’s representation and gender gaps in political participation
Symbolic empowerment and female heads of states and government
Citizen responses to female executives
Women Cabinet Ministers and Female‐Friendly Social Policy
Women prime ministers and Covid ‐19
The Queens’ gambit
Women Cabinet Ministers’ Substantive Representation in Africa
Why can’t a woman be more like a man? Female leaders in crisis bargaining
The politics of disaggregated family policy
Examining the appointment of women to ministerial positions across Europe
Why Europe's Right Embraces Gay Rights
Entering the men's domain? Gender and portfolio allocation in European governments
Numerical and policy representation on the international stage
Demonstrating Credentials? Female Executives, Women’s Status, and the Use of Force
The Impact of Female Cabinet Ministers on a Female-Friendly Labor Environment
Signaling Woman and Leader
Policy Advocacy in Hard Times
Still a ‘Male Business’? Explaining Women’s Presence in Executive Office
Gender, Political Rhetoric, and Moral Metaphors in State of the City Addresses
In the Defense of Women
All the President’s Men? The Appointment of Female Cabinet Ministers Worldwide
Corruption, Accountability, and Women’s Access to Power
The Proportion of Women in Legislatures and Cabinets
Do Government Positions Held by Women Matter? A Cross-National Examination of Female Ministers' Impacts on Women's Political Participation
Gender and Political Leadership in a Time of Covid
Letting Down the Ladder or Shutting the Door
Women Leaders and Pandemic Performance
A Trailblazer or a Barrier? Dynastic Politics and Symbolic Representation of the First Female President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye
The President's Prerogative”? The Cabinet Appointment Process in Ghana and the Implications for Gender Parity
The Dilma Effect? Women's Representation under Dilma Rousseff's Presidency
The Core Executive
When Do Family Ties Matter? The Duration of Female Suffrage and Women’s Path to High Political Office
Gendered Opportunities and Constraints
High-Profile Female Executive Candidates and the Political Engagement of Women
Getting to the Top
Reducing Stereotypes of Female Political Leaders in Mexico
Accessing Power in New Democracies
Madame President, Madame Ambassador? Women Presidents and Gender Parity in Latin America’s Diplomatic Services
A Theory of Gender’s Role on Presidential Approval Ratings in Corrupt Times
Measuring Stereotypes of Female Politicians
Women in cabinets
The Effects of Women's Descriptive Representation on Government Behavior
Don’t put a ring on it
Gendering political leadership
How women in the executive influence government stability
The Gendered Peace Premium
The Suffragist Peace
The Appointment of Women to Authoritarian Cabinets in Africa
Ministers, Gender and Political Appointments
Descriptive Representation and Policymaking Authority
Women's leadership and the gendered consequences of austerity in the public sector
Gender Norms and Women's Political Representation
A Critical Departure for Women Executives or More of the Same? The Powers of Chancellor Merkel
How parties led by a woman redefine their positions
Gendered Incentives, Party Support, and Viable Female Presidential Candidates in Latin America
The Glass Ceiling in Politics
Representation and Ministerial Influence on Cabinet Committees in Canada
In Crisis or Decline? Selecting Women to Lead Provincial Parties in Government
Rising to the Top
Defending the Realm
Women Ministers in Latin American Government
Ethnic Politics and Women's Empowerment in Africa
Religion, Sexuality Politics, and the Transformation of Latin American Electorates
The Effects of Female Leadership on Women's Voice in Political Debate
Presidents’ Sex and Popularity
Gendering Coalitional Presidentialism in Brazil
Peacemakers or Iron Ladies? A Cross-National Study of Gender and International Conflict
Asian women’s paths to office
Do Women Make More Protectionist Trade Policy
Financial Crises and the Selection and Survival of Women Finance Ministers
Re-examining women leaders and military spending
The Effects of Women Officeholders on Environmental Policy
Gender Quotas and Women's Political Leadership
The Curious Case of Theresa May and the Public That Did Not Rally
Consolidating Progress
From Thin to Thick Representation
Women's Descriptive Representation and Gendered Import Tax Discrimination
Latin American Attitudes toward Women in Politics
Power Sharing and Authoritarian Stability
Gender, Candidate Emotional Expression, and Voter Reactions During Televised Debates
Institutional Change in Constrained Circumstances
Gender Matters in Tsai Ing-wen's First Term
How Women's Political Representation affects Spending on Family Benefits
| Unique citing works | 12 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 12 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |