Age Inequalities in Political Representation: A Review Article

Abstract

People in political decision-making across the globe tend to be much older than the average voter. As such, parliaments and cabinets are unrepresentative of the larger population. This has consequences: it risks favouring policies geared towards the interests of older cohorts, it might alienate youth from voting and could push parties to appeal (even more) to older voters. In this review, we synthesize the growing literature on youth representation. We do so by: (1) delineating the group of young politicians, (2) discussing why youth ought to be present in politics, (3) empirically depicting the state of youth representation, and (4) illustrating the factors that help or harm youth to enter politics. This synthesis shows the degree to which young people are absent from decision-making bodies across the national, subnational and supra-national levels and attempts to make sense of the reasons why there is such a dearth of youth as candidates and representatives. We conclude by discussing gaps in research and suggesting several avenues for future work.

Apprentices or outsiders? Age-driven heterogeneities in access to political capital and reelection

“…This variable takes on the value of “1” for those MPs who are 35 years old or younger at the start of the parliamentary term. This operationalization aligns with the existing literature on youth representation (Stockemer and Sundström, 2023).…”

“…It is possible that young MPs are disproportionately assigned to less prominent committees with limited visibility (Erikson and Josefsson, 2021; Winsvold et al, 2017). While not problematic for learning legislative skills, this would suggest that younger MPs have fewer opportunities to act as spokespersons for young adults (Stockemer and Sundström, 2023). Lastly, future studies should ideally examine the content of the questions and bill proposals submitted by young MPs, as well as instances when these MPs deviate from the party line during roll calls, to ascertain the extent to which young MPs can express their unique perspectives within the legislature.…”

“…However, it is important to note a notable difference between young age and other group identities mentioned earlier (Stockemer and Sundström, 2023). While gender and ethnic background are enduring identities that tend to persist throughout one's life, everyone eventually "grows out" of being young.…”

“…Although previous studies have investigated the sources of youth bias in candidate selection processes, it remains unclear whether and to what extent this bias persists and negatively impacts the political trajectories of young individuals who successfully navigate the recruitment process and get elected. This is an important question in light of the growing demands for the inclusion of young people in political decision making (Krook and Nugent, 2018; Stockemer and Sundström, 2023).…”

“…On the supply side, young people are suggested to be less interested in pursuing political office (Grasso and Giugni, 2022; Lawless and Fox, 2015; Trachtman et al, 2023). The reasons for this are multifaceted, spanning from young people’s position in the life cycle to feelings of alienation caused by a lack of relevant policy proposals and political role models (Lawless and Fox, 2015; Stockemer and Sundström, 2023). On the demand side, existing norms within political parties about the qualities a successful politician should possess can disadvantage young political aspirants (Belschner, 2023; Rehmert, 2022; Stockemer and Sundström, 2018: 469).…”