Gendered patterns of legislative oversight – how men and women MPs contribute to unequal working conditions for men and women ministers

Women do not only face double standards on their way to high-profile offices but also once they exercise leadership positions. According to previous research, MPs underestimate the competency of women ministers. Yet, research on whether both men and women representatives contribute to a similar extent to creating these unequal working conditions for ministers remains scant. To close this gap, this paper answers the research question of to what degree the sex of MPs shapes how they oversee women ministers and why such gender differences emerge. We argue that men MPs oversee women ministers more tightly than women MPs due to stronger gender stereotypes held by men and due to in-group bias. We test this hypothesis based on original data on the number of parliamentary questions of men and women MPs directed to ministers in six European countries. The analysis focuses on instances in which a woman takes over a ministry from a man (or vice versa) within the same cabinet, which holds many important factors constant. The results of our regression models suggest that men MPs indeed tend to ask more questions to women ministers than women MPs and thus oversee the women minister more thoroughly. The findings indicate that, especially in men-dominated parliaments, women in high-profile positions will continue to face more difficult working conditions and, thus, higher hurdles for successful performance.