This paper provides a cross-national and diachronic analysis of the descriptive political representation of citizens of immigrant origin (CIOs) in Europe. It explores how intersections of the ethnic visibility/invisibility continuum, gender and religious attributes play out in the selection of CIO Member of Parliaments (MPs). Is ‘visibility’ a disadvantage, or can it be an advantage in certain competitive settings and contexts? Are there noticeable gender patterns in relation to which CIOs become MPs? Some scholars have suggested that women minority candidates often have a competitive advantage because they ‘tick’ several boxes at a time in party candidate nomination processes. Is this the case or does it depend on contextual characteristics, such as party ideology? How does religion interact with visibility and gender in these choices? Four sets of explanations will be taken into account: 1) the effects of the electoral and party system, 2) the internal organisation and candidate selection processes within parties, 3) the size and composition of the CIO population, 4) public opinion. The analysis will be based on original and unique data gathered through the Pathways project (http://www.pathways.eu/) on all MPs elected to the lower chambers in eight European countries – Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom – between the early 1990s and the mid-2010s.
