Minority Representatives’ Contributions to Plurality: The Representations of Other Disadvantaged Groups in Politics

Minority representatives are oftentimes criticized for silencing or even suppressing ethnic and/or cultural rights and liberties rather than making substantive contributions. Politicians with minority backgrounds, however, might still be bringing new perspectives in politics. This study questions minority representatives contributions in standing for other underrepresented groups in terms of gender, SES, generation and disability. This study asks to what extent, if any, minority identity matters in contributing to the political representation of underrepresented groups. To answer this question, the researchers conduct a content analysis on parliamentary questions posted by minority and non-minority MPs in the Netherlands. The Dutch case has been particularly selected by taking the high number of minority representatives of migratory backgrounds into consideration. In our explanation, we particularly focus on party ideology, gender and ethnic identity. Our analysis reveals a statistically significant contribution of minority representatives in standing for gender rights and liberties. Female representatives with minority backgrounds are particularly interest in social welfare as well as gender.