Gender Differences in Policy Priorities Among Legislators

Abstract

Studies on policy process almost exclusively focused on macro-level political phenomena, ignoring the potential role of individual traits in the policymaking process. In this chapter, we explore the extent to which female parliamentarians differed from their male counterparts in their issue attention by examining the biographies of and the speeches by over 2200 MPs who served in the parliament between 1995 and 2011. An analysis of gender differences in issue attention is of great theoretical importance for the study of the dynamics of policy agendas in Turkey, given that Turkey, as a country that has long been lagging behind other countries in women representation in parliament, has managed to send more women to parliament in the last decade. Women’s representation in the Turkish parliament has recently increased to 17% from around 4% in 2002 and increasing women representation in the parliament may have policy-relevant consequences if this trend continues over the next decade. In particular, if women legislators differ from their male counterparts in policy priorities and legislative behavior, then the demographic composition of the legislature might have some influence on what issues enter and stay in the political agenda. Our findings lend support to this possibility by showing that women differ greatly from their male counterparts in various policy categories.