Women's Representation in the Backrooms of Government: Career Pathways from Ministerial Advisers to Parliament

Despite considerable international efforts to accelerate gender equality in political decision-making, progress remains slow and uneven. While studies on women's political representation have privileged descriptive accounts of elected legislatures and executive office, other crucial venues remain underexplored. Ministerial private offices (MPOs), situated at the heart of executive power, represent a critical yet neglected space where political careers are shaped and policy influence is exercised. These offices, staffed by ministerial advisers who bridge politics and administration, have increasingly colonized all policy cycle stages, yet their role as gendered institutions and potential career launching pads remains largely unexamined. This paper investigates the gendered nature of MPOs and their implications for political career development, with particular focus on transitions into parliament. Drawing on feminist institutionalism, we examine how organizational processes, norms, and practices create and maintain gendered hierarchies that advantage men in accessing power resources. Our analysis considers three dimensions: gender composition, hierarchical distribution (functions and remuneration), and portfolio allocation across policy domains. Empirically, the study draws on publicly available data of appointed staff to MPOs in Portugal (2000-2025), a typical case of 'cabinetisation' characterized by a long tradition of engaging ministerial advisers. Portugal's steady progress toward gender parity in parliament and cabinet, consolidated through the 2006 Parity Law, provides an ideal context for examining whether similar patterns emerge in less regulated appointment venues where ministers exercise discretionary selection authority. Our findings reveal a paradox: while women comprise the majority of MPO appointees, they face clear vertical and horizontal segregation. Women are disproportionately assigned lower-prestige functions with correspondingly lower remuneration, while men monopolize higher-ranking positions with greater proximity to ministers. Women are also concentrated in social policy areas and underrepresented in the Prime Minister's office and traditionally masculine portfolios. Extending beyond descriptive representation, we trace subsequent transitions into parliament, assessing whether MPO experience serves as an effective launching pad and whether gender inequalities in advisory positions translate into differential parliamentary representation outcomes. This analysis illuminates how organizational hierarchies within executive structures shape who eventually gains legislative authority, with significant implications for understanding women's political advancement in contemporary democracies.