Male Dominance in Political Recruitment: Gender, Power, and Institutions in the Republic of Ireland

Male Dominance in Political Recruitment: Gender, Power, and Institutions in the Republic of Ireland

Male Dominance in Political Recruitment: Gender, Power, and Institutions in the Republic of Ireland A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2017 Leah E. Culhane School of Social Science Contents Contents…………………………………………………………………...………….ii List of Tables and Figures .............................................................................................. vi Tables ....................................................................................................................... vi Figures ..................................................................................................................... vi Glossary of Irish terms ..................................................................................................viii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ ix Declaration ....................................................................................................................... xi Copyright Statement....................................................................................................... xii Acknowledgments .........................................................................................................xiii 1 Challenging Male Dominance ........................................................... 1 1.1 Why male dominance? .......................................................................................... 5 1.2 Why candidate recruitment and selection? ........................................................... 8 1.3 Why Ireland? ........................................................................................................ 13 1.4 Researching male dominance in recruitment and selection .............................. 16 1.4.1 Single-case study approach .......................................................................... 18 1.4.2 The qualitative approach .............................................................................. 20 1.5 Structure of the thesis .......................................................................................... 25 2 Understanding Male Dominance .................................................... 29 2.1 Defining institutions ............................................................................................ 30 2.2 Gendering institutions .......................................................................................... 35 2.2.1 Gender ........................................................................................................... 36 2.2.2 Power ............................................................................................................. 38 2.2.3 Identifying gendered institutions ................................................................. 40 2.3 Understanding institutional change and continuity............................................ 42 ii 2.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 49 3 Male Dominance in Political Recruitment and Selection .............. 50 3.1 Political parties and male dominance ................................................................. 51 3.2 Gendering recruitment ......................................................................................... 57 3.3 Gendering selection ............................................................................................. 61 3.3.1 Who selects? ................................................................................................. 62 3.3.2 How many people select?............................................................................. 64 3.3.3 Formalisation ................................................................................................ 65 3.4 Gender quotas as a mechanism for change ........................................................ 66 3.5 The impact of gender quotas: An FI approach ................................................... 68 3.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 74 4 The Rules of the Game .................................................................... 76 4.1 Situating the Irish case ......................................................................................... 77 4.2 Localism, PR-STV and the electorate ................................................................ 83 4.3 Candidate recruitment and selection ................................................................... 90 4.3.1 Who should be a candidate? Informal local candidate criteria .................. 90 4.3.1.1 Geography………………………………………………..…92 4.3.1.2 Local Recognition…………………………………….…….93 4.3.1.3 Personal Networks and machines………………………...…95 4.3.2 Who selects? ................................................................................................. 96 4.3.2.1. Party organisation………………………………………..…96 4.3.2.2 Centralised and decentralised selection……………….….…98 4.3.2.3 Who should select? The local- national tension…………...104 4.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 106 5 Revealing an Uneven Playing Field .............................................. 108 5.1 Male over-representation in Irish politics......................................................... 109 5.2 Male dominance in recruitment ........................................................................ 112 5.2.1 Seeking existing brokers, seeking incumbents ......................................... 113 5.2.2 Seeking potential brokers, seeking men .................................................... 115 iii 5.3 Male dominance in selection ............................................................................. 121 5.3.1 Local inclusive selection and power: The role of local networks ........... 121 5.3.2 Central intervention and power: the rules in use ...................................... 124 5.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 130 6 Disrupting Male Dominance ......................................................... 132 6.1 The introduction of gender quotas .................................................................... 133 6.2 Implementing the quota: Electoral motivations and financial incentives ...... 135 6.2.1 Fianna Fáil................................................................................................... 138 6.2.2 Fine Gael ..................................................................................................... 143 6.2.3 Labour ......................................................................................................... 146 6.2.4 Sinn Féin ..................................................................................................... 148 6.3 Reforming Recruitment ..................................................................................... 151 6.3.1 Adhering to the local rules: creating local brokers ................................... 151 6.3.2 Making women visible: seeking female aspirants .................................... 154 6.4 Reforming selection ........................................................................................... 156 6.4.1 Overcoming the ‘paradox of primaries’ .................................................... 156 6.4.2 Selecting women: old rules, new purposes ............................................... 159 6.5 The impact of gender quotas on candidacy and representation ...................... 161 6.5.1 Impact of the quota on women’s candidacy ............................................. 161 6.5.2 Impact of the quota on gendered patterns of representation .................... 162 6.6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 164 7 Reproducing Male Dominance ..................................................... 166 7.1 PR-STV: opportunities for change and subversion ......................................... 167 7.2 Local democratic selection and resistance ....................................................... 169 7.2.1 Local legacies: informal networks and ‘deserving men’ ......................... 170 7.2.2 Tactical voting and ‘stalking horses’......................................................... 175 7.2.3 Discursive strategies and tactical voting ................................................... 176 7.2.4 Intimidation and domination techniques ................................................... 179 7.3 Central intervention and resistance ................................................................... 182 7.3.1 Electability and vote-maximising .............................................................. 182 7.3.2 ‘Where will we run women?’ Formal rules and selecting men ............... 184 7.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 187 iv 8 Conclusion...................................................................................... 189 8.1 The impact of gender quotas ............................................................................. 190 8.2 Contribution of the thesis .................................................................................. 198 8.2.1 Localism and Irish politics ........................................................................

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