Identity, Visibility & Access to Power

Abstract

As political institutions become more diverse, new questions arise about how identity shapes visibility, recognition, and access to power within political systems. This panel brings together research that examines representation as more than formal inclusion, emphasizing how gender and other intersecting identities—such as class, age, race, and social background—structure who is seen, heard, and recognized as politically authoritative. Focusing on parties, executive and appointed bodies, and the public and digital spheres, the panel highlights how informal norms, representational claims, and organizational practices produce uneven forms of visibility and influence. By shifting attention from entry and advancement to recognition and authority, the panel contributes to broader debates on power, legitimacy, and the limits of descriptive representation in contemporary democracies.

Title	Details
Rethinking Women’s Representation to Appointed Bodies: Who Is Replacing Whom?	View Paper Details
"Feminist icon" or "not a sister"? Women leaders and their (better) cabinets	View Paper Details
Generations Apart? Intergenerational Relations and the Gendered Political Career Pipeline	View Paper Details
Exogamy and civic processes: An incentive or disincentive for Sub-Saharan African women?	View Paper Details
Unequal Visibility: Class, Gender, and the Social Media Presence of German Parliamentarians	View Paper Details
Toward a "Demographically Reflective Democracy": How Identity-Based PACs and Candidates Co-Construct Identity Representation in U.S. Electoral Politics	View Paper Details