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The Role of District Magnitude in When Women Represent Women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2022

Brian F. Crisp Open the ORCID record for Brian F. Crisp [Opens in a new window]  and
Patrick Cunha Silva Open the ORCID record for Patrick Cunha Silva [Opens in a new window]
Brian F. Crisp*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA
Patrick Cunha Silva
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: crisp@wustl.edu
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Abstract

Legislators are likely to substantively represent groups to which they belong or with which they have some particular affinity. However, there are electoral systems that diminish this tendency and systems that promote it. More precisely, as district magnitude increases, representatives will be freer to focus on issues that are not decisive of vote choice for most voters. In this letter, we use a case of electoral reform and the nature of the post-reform chamber (Chile's Chamber of Deputies) to test whether increasing district magnitude makes it more likely that women will focus on women's issues. A series of tests on multiple sets of observations show robust results for the conclusion that as the number of candidates elected in a district increases, elected women become more likely to pursue women's issues.

Keywords

gendersubstantive representationelectoral systemsbill cosponsorshipdistrict magnitude
Type
Letter
Information
British Journal of Political Science , Volume 53 , Issue 3 , July 2023 , pp. 1061 - 1069
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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