How perceptions and information about women’s descriptive representation affect support for positive action measures

Coffé, Hilde; Reiser, Marion

doi:10.1177/0192512121995748

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(82 reference statements)

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“…The 2016 general election exit poll also demonstrated a high level of public support for the measure which party strategists reported as helpful in advancing discussions especially at the 2019 local and European Parliament elections. Although this point contrasts with a view that generally there is low support among publics for legal positive action measures (Coffé and Reiser, 2021). Fianna Fáil strategists noted that there was considerably less direct resistance to requirements for gender balance on party tickets and Fine Gael strategists also reported the need for less direct intervention.…”

Section: Gender Quotasmentioning

confidence: 90%

Forwards-Backwards: Internal Party Democracy in Irish Political Parties

Reidy

2022

Front. Polit. Sci.

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All political parties want candidates that will win elections but electability is an elusive trait and how it is understood, and pursued varies greatly. Political parties have formal rules, and informal practices and preferences, for selecting candidates and these tend to be dynamic, changing from election to election as parties review their performance and respond to changes in the political and legal environment. Generally, the last thirty years has witnessed a drift toward greater internal party democracy as party members have been given more extensive roles in important decisions such as selecting candidates for election. Ireland is an interesting case study that on the surface embraced internal party democracy (IPD) at an early point. All the major parties have empowered party members to vote for candidates at district level selection conventions. But closer inspection reveals that decision making remains highly qualified with party elites retaining decisive influence over the criteria which structure decisions by party members. Multi-seat constituencies, party finance rules and more recently the introduction of a legally binding gender quota mean that internal party democracy is far more constrained than the widespread adoption of one member, one vote and constituency level selection conventions might suggest. However, even the modest changes in the power balance in selection has contributed to an evolving profile of candidates at Irish general elections.

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Section: Gender Quotasmentioning

confidence: 90%

Forwards-Backwards: Internal Party Democracy in Irish Political Parties

Reidy

2022

Front. Polit. Sci.

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“…However, while those women who over‐estimated female representation still supported gender‐equality initiatives, such as initiatives run by the Royal College of Surgeons and the General Medical Council, those men who were over‐optimistic about progress showed significantly lower levels of support. Thus, men who overestimated progress towards gender equality were at highest risk of undermining it (see also Coffé & Reiser, 2021 ).…”

Section: When We Are Overly Optimisticmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing workplace gender inequality: Using the evidence to avoid common pitfalls

Ryan

2022

British J Social Psychol

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In this Landmark article I outline four common missteps that are made when designing and implementing workplace gender equality initiatives: (1) when we don't go beyond describing the numbers; (2) when we try to 'fix' women rather than fix systems; (3) when we are overly optimistic about the progress we have made; and (4) when we fail to recognise the intersectionality of the experiences that women face. I will briefly consider each of these missteps in term, presenting research that suggests alternative ways of approaching gender equality initiatives. K E Y W O R D Sgender differences, gender equality, glass cliff, intersectionality, risk-taking

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“…They may regard them as no longer necessary, for instance. Indeed, previous research on this topic, although limited in scope, demonstrates that when individuals overestimate women’s representation in a field (eg, in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) and in politics), they show less support for initiatives that aim to help women in those fields 9–11. Thus, medical professionals who overestimate the true progress that has been made in women’s representation in the field may be at highest risk of undermining it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overestimating women’s representation in medicine: a survey of medical professionals’ estimates and their(un)willingness to support gender equality initiatives

2022

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ObjectiveAmidst growing numbers of women in certain areas of medicine (eg, general practice/primary care), yet their continued under-representation in others (eg, surgical specialties), this study examines (1) whether medical professionals mistakenly infer that women are now broadly well represented, overestimating women’s true representation in several different areas and roles; and (2) whether this overestimation of women’s representation predicts decreased support for gender equality initiatives in the field, in conjunction with one’s own gender.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingUK-based medical field.Participants425 UK medical consultants/general practitioners and trainees (ST/CT1+/SHO/Registrar); 47% were female.Main outcome measuresEstimates of women’s representation in different areas/roles within medicine, examined as a composite estimate and individually; and a multi-item measure of support for gender-based initiatives in medicine.ResultsMedical professionals tended to overestimate women’s true representation in several different areas of medicine (general practice, medical specialties, surgical specialties) and in various roles (consultants/general practitioners, trainees, medical school graduates). Moreover, these erroneous estimates predicted a decreased willingness to support gender-based initiatives, particularly among men in the field: composite overestimation*respondent gender interaction, B=−0.04, 95% CI −0.07 to −0.01, p=0.01. Specifically, while female respondents’ (over)estimates were unrelated to their level of support (B=0.00, 95% CI −0.02 to 0.02, p=0.92), male respondents’ tendency to overestimate the proportion of women in medicine predicted lower support for gender-based initiatives (B=−0.04, 95% CI −0.06 to −0.02, p<0.001).ConclusionsWhile some progress has been made in gender representation in the medical field, this research illustrates that there are still barriers to gender equality efforts and identifies who within the field is focally maintaining these barriers. It is those individuals (particularly men) who overestimate the true progress that has been made in women’s representation who are at highest risk of undermining it.

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How perceptions and information about women’s descriptive representation affect support for positive action measures

Cited by 6 publications

References 38 publications

Forwards-Backwards: Internal Party Democracy in Irish Political Parties

Forwards-Backwards: Internal Party Democracy in Irish Political Parties

Addressing workplace gender inequality: Using the evidence to avoid common pitfalls

Overestimating women’s representation in medicine: a survey of medical professionals’ estimates and their(un)willingness to support gender equality initiatives

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