Studying Gendered Parliamentary Spaces through the Eyes of Female Members of Parliament: Walking Interviews as a Research Method

Parliaments inherently embody and symbolically convey gendered power relations through their organisation, operation, and physical spaces. Symbolic representation has the potential to advance the inclusion of marginalised groups and rebalance power dynamics. While existing studies have explored the gendered nature of parliaments using various approaches and research methods (e.g. Erikson & Josefsson 2022; Rai 2013; Berthet et al 2023), this paper contributes by (1) investigating the subjective experiences and perceptions of members of parliament (MPs) and (2) proposing walking interviews as an innovative research method for such exploration. More precisely, the paper studies the gendered symbolic representation within the inner workings and physical spaces of the Belgian Federal Parliament, examining how female MPs perceive and experience this representation. Since symbolic representation has an active dimension to it (Lombardo & Meier 2016), and symbols need to be perceived as such, it is relevant to study female MPs’ interpretations of them. While our research methodology combines different methods (including in-depth interviews and document analysis), this paper emphasizes the methodological added value of walking interviews with female MPs. Walking interviews unveil female MPs’ perceptions and experiences of the institutional symbol-making and offer new insights into how gender sensitivity in parliament can be enhanced. Walking interviews proved to be a suitable method to uncover challenges arising from women’s unequal representation in art and decorations, the absence of formal policies for gender-sensitive spaces, and the lack of work-family balance policies – elements crucial for fostering inclusive symbolic representation of women. Furthermore, while our analysis of parliamentary documents and staff interviews identifies systemic barriers, walking interviews reveal a more nuanced perspective. Surprisingly, many female MPs are positive about women’s symbolic representation within parliamentary spaces, actively fostering a sense of belonging. However, some female MPs, particularly from working class backgrounds, view the parliamentary building as a poor representation of society. As such, the walking interviews unveil the diverse perceptions and experiences among female MPs, with some adhering to established norms and others challenging the cultural framework.