Beyond Descriptive Representation in Negotiations: Gender Dynamics in Multilateral Diplomacy

Open access to negotiations – including women negotiators – is crucial for the legitimacy of international organizations. However, gender representation in negotiations (and in politics more broadly) tends to focus on descriptive representation, often overlooking the positional and substantive representation of women in decision-making bodies. In this project, we move beyond a simple description of women's (lack of) participation in negotiations, using text analysis to measure how debates differ as a result of gender balances. Second, we design a laboratory experiment to test specific mechanisms, measuring how varying levels of participation by women in negotiations affect consensus rates, deliberations, and the nature of outcomes. We focus on the context of virtual negotiations, an increasingly important site of global governance.