Intersectional Perspectives on Men and Masculinities

Descriptive representation in politics is often constructed as a zero-sum game with some groups pitted against others. Claims for women’s increased political representation are, for example, constructed in competition with the representation of ethnic minorities and working class men. Frequently lost in such framing is acknowledgement that despite some increases in the diversity of elected representatives, elite and ethnic majority men are over-represented in legislatures throughout the world. In this contribution, we contend that an intersectional approach to men and masculinities is essential to unpacking the continued political underrepresentation of women. Gender intersects with social structures such as race, ethnicity, class, age, and sexuality, to shape the experiences and outcomes for men, just as it does for women. Asking ‘which men’ are over-represented in politics has, then, much to teach us about gender and politics - theoretically and empirically - and draws attention to reasons for women’s political underrepresentation that have been hitherto underexplored.