Examining Female Membership and Leadership of Legislative Committees in Jordan

A Seat at the Table

“…With respect to congressional presidencies, the gender quota did not improve women's representation -in fact, it seems to have reduced their access to the position, as no woman has been elected president since the quota's implementation. This finding aligns with trends found by other gender scholars, that the election of "quota women" may improve women's access to less prestigious leadership positions, but women will remain underrepresented in the most coveted positions (Shalaby and Elimam 2019). It also supports the theory that the election of more women to the Congress prompts a defensive reaction among male legislators, causing them to consolidate their hold over the most highly valued political resources (Heath et al 2005;Franceschet and Piscopo 2008;Schwindt-Bayer 2006;Shalaby and Elimam 2019).…”

“…This chapter has provided the first systematic analysis of the 2011 gender My findings also suggest that male legislators may perceive the election of women as a threat to their domination of political resources, and thus attempt to marginalize and segregate women legislators (Heath et al 2005;Franceschet and Piscopo 2008;Schwindt-Bayer 2006;Shalaby and Elimam 2019). The majority of the existing literature documents this practice with respect to gendered committee assignments, but my analysis illustrates that it can also occur for leadership positions.…”

“…In this case, however, the election of quota women only benefited women legislators in terms of their access to less prestigious leadership positions, vice presidencies. As have found other gender scholars, women remained underrepresented in presidencies, where greater tangible power is held(Shalaby and Elimam 2019).…”

“…Scholars also document a "vertical division of labor" in legislatures around the world, whereby women are excluded from positions of prestige and influence. For example, research demonstrates that women are less likely to be members of committees where the most pivotal political decisions are made (Carroll 2008;Diaz 2005;Wangnerud 2009), and are also underrepresented in leadership positions in legislatures (Shalaby and Elimam 2019). Other research finds that women have been excluded from powerful informal networks, although most of these works focus on electoral rather than legislative politics (Franceschet and Piscopo 2014;Piscopo 2016;Sacchet 2008).…”

“…In Spain, Verge and de la Fuente (2014) find that the Gender Equality Act, which requires that women hold at least 40 percent of positions on electoral lists, has elicited little progress in women's access to power within political parties. In Jordan, Shalaby and Elimam (2019) found that a post-quota increase in descriptive representation improved women's access to legislative vice presidencies and secretariats, but women remained underrepresented in presidencies, a more prestigious leadership position. They also found that women committee presidents were more likely to be on committees dealing with traditionally feminine issues than masculine issues.…”