The Consequences of Parliamentary Seniority: a Gender perspective

Abstract

This panel explores the gendered consequences of political seniority, understood as the accumulation of experience and tenure across multiple parliamentary mandates. Building on insights from the ERC project SUCCESS – Gender Gaps in Political Endurance, the panel investigates how seniority interacts with gender to shape perceptions, opportunities, and substantive outcomes in democratic politics. We approach political seniority as a relational and institutional process rather than an individual trait. Tenure in elected office grants access to leadership roles, agenda-setting capacity, and informal influence. Persistent gender gaps in political seniority therefore translate into structural inequalities in who access political power. Understanding the effects of seniority is crucial to assessing how representation evolves over time – and whether the presence of experienced women can transform the norms and practices of democratic institutions. The panel welcomes contributions addressing the consequences of political seniority from a gender perspective across three interrelated arenas: 1. Public opinion and legitimacy. How do citizens perceive political experience and longevity in office? To what extent are evaluations of “experienced” versus “new” politicians shaped by gendered stereotypes about competence, credibility, or renewal? Papers in this area ideally explore how gendered perceptions of seniority influence trust in representatives and broader attitudes toward democratic legitimacy. 2. Parties and candidate selection. In many party-centred political systems seniority is made possible – or interrupted – through party processes. Papers in this area may investigate how nomination committees, party gatekeepers, and informal networks reward or penalize experience, and which (gendered) criteria are privileged for renominations, ultimately influencing politicians’ career trajectories. 3. Parliamentary behaviour and political careers. Seniority affects access to institutional resources, agenda control, and career progression. Studies in this area may examine how senior women and men differ in their parliamentary activity, communication styles, or policy influence, and how the growing presence of senior women reshapes legislative cultures or contributes to substantive representation, particularly around gender equality and inclusion. By focusing on the effects of seniority, this panel advances a new agenda for understanding parliamentary seniority as a critical site for understanding the persistence of gender inequality in politics. We invite contributions that tackle these and related questions with a variety of different methods and with different geographical focus. Intersectional perspectives addressing how intersecting hierarchies of gender, race, and class interact with political seniority are also very much welcome.

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