Renewal and Permanency of Parliamentary Elites from a Gender Perspective
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Renewal and permanency of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Methodological trends of measure and applications. 63rd Political Studes Association Annual International Conference. Bernabé Aldeguer Cerdá University of Alicante (Spain) [email protected] / [email protected] Renewal and permanency of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Methodological trends of measure and applications. 63 rd Political Studies Association Annual International Conference The Party’s Over? 25 – 27 March 2013 City Hall Cardiff --- Panel details: Gender and politics 1: Representation Beyond Westminster: Diversity, Agency and Quotas. Chair: Lisa Harrison. Session 7 – Tuesday 26 March 2013. Please do not cite without permission of the author Bernabé Aldeguer Cerdá (University of Alicante – Spain). Página 1 Renewal and permanency of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Methodological trends of measure and applications. 63rd Political Studes Association Annual International Conference. Abstract. Renewal and permanency of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Methodological trends of measure and applications. Bernabé Aldeguer Cerdá. One of the main variables used in the study of political elites has been the analysis related to their patterns of renewal, renewal and permanency along the time. We can interpret the representative democracies as a result of gradual or total processes in the renewal of ruling class. A low level of renewal is one of the keys to describe and explain the profile of political elites an also as an indicator of professionalization, considering factors of heritage and permanency, as well as, following to Pareto, patterns of renewal. The paper takes into account the last methodological approaches included in those academic researches and reports that have measured and evaluated, from a gender perspective, the comparative patterns of renewal, renewal and permanence in parliamentary elites. The differentiate renewal and renewal degree between women and men as elected officials is crucial to understand the structure of opportunities that affects the incorporation of women to parliamentary institutions. This way, the European Commission (2009) has measured how different levels of renewal and permanency account the rapidity by which the female presence in parliaments occurs. We use a cross-time (1983/2011) case-study (regional parliament of Valencia) to describe and explain which have been the core factors that let us to identify the explicative variables in terms of renewal, renewal and permanency by a gender perspective. The paper proves a higher level of renewal of women in comparison with men for all political parties. The results show the different impact of some factors that account this different levels of renewal as, for example, the changing leadership inside the political party or inside the parliamentary groups, changes in the electoral results with eventual transitions from government to opposition and vice versa, and institutional transformations (electoral reforms) related to the introduction of quotas based on gender . Bernabé Aldeguer Cerdá (University of Alicante – Spain). Página 2 Renewal and permanency of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Methodological trends of measure and applications. 63rd Political Studes Association Annual International Conference. SUMMARY 1. Introduction. 1.1. Purpose of Research. 1.2. Hypothesis. 2. Permanency and renewal of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Previous considerations. 3. Results. 3.1. Parliamentary renewal patterns by sexes and parliamentary groups (1983- 2011). 3.2. Explicative factors of the parliamentary renewal by sex and parliamentary groups (1983 – 2011). 4. Permanency of parliamentary elites. The cross-time valencian case. 5. Conclusions. 6. Bibliography. 7. Data annexes. Bernabé Aldeguer Cerdá (University of Alicante – Spain). Página 3 Renewal and permanency of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Methodological trends of measure and applications. 63rd Political Studes Association Annual International Conference. 1. Introduction. The paper is a part of a wider research which purpose consists in a longitudinal (cross-time) case study on the access of women to the regional parliament of Valencia (Spain), considering the scope of analysis from a gender perspective from the theoretical focus of paritary democracy along the period 1983 – 2011. Purpose of research. The paper addresses a comparative study, from gender and ideological adscription (parliamentary group), of the renewal and permanency trends of men and women as members of parliamentary elites in the valencian parliament. Therefore, we analyse the differentiated trends that men and women show related to the renewal and permanency index. The research tries to take conclusions about how permanency benefits the professionalization degree of men and the non-equivalent impact of leadership changes in the renewal of men and women as members of parliamentary groups supporting government or being in the opposition. According with this objective, the paper is based in the notion issued by the Fourth World Conference of Women (Action for Equality, Development and Peace on 4–15 September 1995 in Beijing, China), by which: “It It has paid much attention to the improvement of women's access to political posts. However, much less attention has been paid to the renewal of women in formal political institutions (...)” (Beijing Declaration, 4-15 September 1995). Hypothesis. Taking into account the previous researches and reports assessing the performance of women as office holders, we hypothesize a higher level of renewal of women than men along the time. This proposition is coherent with the notion emitted by the parity democracy theory, by which the consolidation of male leadership in public institutions is consequence of a higher permanency of men as representatives. This circumstance conduces a higher professionalization level between male members of parliaments as opposed to women. Finally, because of this trends, the chance to be nominated as candidate is higher among men. This way, a new process for the consolidation of male leadership is started. The main factors that have been considerate relevant in order to explain these trends, are the leadership changes inside the political party or parliamentary group, the incorporation of women to parliaments itself and the different levels of female presence as legislatives, the changes from opposition to government, and vice versa, Thus, the changes of leadership, the level of female presence, and the transfer of power, are factors that will affect the permanency and renewal trends from a differently intensity according with gender. Bernabé Aldeguer Cerdá (University of Alicante – Spain). Página 4 Renewal and permanency of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Methodological trends of measure and applications. 63rd Political Studes Association Annual International Conference. 2. Permanency and renewal of parliamentary elites from a gender perspective. Previous considerations. One of the core variables used in the studies on political participation of women, has been given by the renewal and permanency index, being particularly considered in those researches that tries to clear up the descriptive and explicative guidelines on the comparative ways by which men and women exercise their parliamentary performance as representatives. The data associated with renewal and permanency related to members of parliaments, let us to obtain value information on the factors that describes the differentiated exercise of their representative responsibilities from a gender perspective. Beyond the presence of women as members of parliaments itself, it is necessary to study more detailed which are the variables that characterize the effective exercise of those faculties related to the parliamentary condition. From this perspective, we can study those: “(…) phenomena that hinder a real and effective gender balance in the exercise of political power, such as renewing higher for women than men (...)” (Verge, 2006). Lovenduski (2005) considers that: “established institutions have the capacity to preserve traditions and cultures, prevent or slow change and protect elites” (Lovenduski, 2005). This way, and following to Paxton & Hughes (2007): “(…) incumbents are more attractive than challengers, evidenced by an extremely high rate of incumbents renomination (…)” (Paxton & Hughes, 2007). The European Commission (2009) assessed the growing permanency of woman in parliaments as one of the vital factors in order to generate more opportunities to women in their access to the main political making decision levels. A high level of permanency and re-election of legislatives reduces, by the low renewal index in each election, the changes for women in their access to representative bodies. Therefore: “Estimates suggest that, on average, around two-thirds of members are re-elected on each occasion meaning that there are limited opportunities for new faces and, therefore, for change in their gender balance” (European Commission, 2009). For this reason, Matland (2005) exposes that “(…) incumbents and community leaders are often disproportionately male, these criteria can damage women’s opportunities” (Matland, 2005). To ensure a continuity of women in their representative and institutional positions is a suitable way to guarantee the acquisition of more political expertise, leadership and media presence. This way,