For women only? Politicians’ attitudes towards men’s role in gender equality representation

Abstract

The article analyses politicians’ attitudes towards men’s participation in the representation of gender equality interests. Recent studies emphasise the participation of men politicians, since gender equality should be understood as a concern for both women and men in society. Conversely, it is argued that women politicians, who share gender-specific experiences of discrimination with other women, are the primary actors in gender equality representation. This article explores to what extent these viewpoints are shared among politicians in Canada, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland, and analyses the socio-demographic and ideological determinants influencing politicians’ support for an active role of men representatives. Data from the Comparative Candidate Study (2019–2024) show that almost half of the candidates consider gender equality as a field primarily suited to women representatives. Older candidates, as well as those with conservative ideological positions, are more inclined to view women as the primary actors in gender equality representation.