Does the secret lie in the numbers? Local councilors representation in a gender-balanced system

Local councillors are an essential part of local democracy. The councillor interacts with citizens and administration as well as other branches of local and higher authorities. This paper explores this role of local councillors through the setting of the Icelandic local government system. The Icelandic local government system is classified as a Nordic type of local government. Icelandic local authorities are highly autonomous, have many tasks and a strong position vis-à-vis state government. It is a council committee system where the local councillors are key players in the system, highlighting the value of the amateur politician. Moreover, the gender balance is exceptionally female positive with almost equal number of men and women councillors. The focus of the study is to explore how the formal and informal roles and rules affect male and female councillors in relation to their interaction with citizens, administration and their institutional position. The study is based on a large-scale survey and was conducted among all local councillors (466) in Iceland in late 2020. Response rate was 51%. Based on previous research we expect to see differences in how men and women councillors view their role as councillors. Hence we expect to see women in a more precarious institutional position than men with more difficulties in their interaction with both citizens and administration.