Gender, Career Pathways, and Leadership Access in the European Parliament

Previous research has demonstrated that the European Parliament is one of the most successful legislative bodies in terms of gender equality. However, a significant barrier remains for female Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) when it comes to accessing leadership positions. There is limited knowledge about how gender interacts with institutional and career factors across different cohorts of EU accession. This study aims to explore this issue by examining whether men and women follow distinct paths to leadership roles in the European Parliament, and whether these patterns differ between "old" and "new" member states. Using quantitative data from the Dataset on Members of the European Parliament (DMEP) and the Directory of the European Parliament Members, this research investigates the impacts of prior political experience, local contexts, and gender on the distribution of leadership positions. It seeks to uncover how the timing of accession and gender interact to influence leadership dynamics within the European Parliament. The article contributes to the understanding of how leadership positions are allocated within the European Parliament and the broader process of European integration.