Despite an increased gender balance in parliaments over the past few decades, women remain underrepresented among the most experienced members of parliament. This suggests that even though women are selected to parliaments in greater numbers, there are barriers hindering them from enduring in office on the same terms as their male colleagues. This study examines how party selector evaluations of parliamentary work matters for re-selection in viable spots, and how this has gendered consequences. Several have highlighted the prominent role political parties play in recruiting and selecting candidates. However, we know less about the role of party selectors in shaping candidates' long term career prospects. This article argues that these committees, particularly in closed-list proportional representation (CLPR) systems, are pivotal not only in shaping initial parliamentary access, but also who gets to stay on to build long-term careers and shape parliaments. By examining how incumbents are evaluated for their work in parliament and what type of work matters for reselection, this article advances our understanding of candidate survival and political careers.
The paper presents data stemming from 20 interviews with party selectors (leaders and members of nomination committees) from 5 different political parties. Interviewed shortly after the nomination process, but before the national election in Norway in 2025, this presents a unique opportunity to study the informal dynamics shaping candidate reselection and how these processes are gendered.
Through a thematic analysis, I elucidate the considerations nomination committees weigh when deciding who stays and who leaves safe list placements. I find that incumbents' ability to navigate and wield power in parliament, such as securing important positions, obtaining high-status committees, or pushing through a policy agenda, is paramount for reelection. Moreover, I find that the committees weigh a parliamentary power-seeking-perspective over a vote-seeking perspective, favouring traits that correspond with historically male attributes. These findings advance our knowledge on how parliamentary work relates to reselection, and how party selectors’ evaluations have gendered effects on political careers.
