The Exit Trap: Gender Differences in Political Perseverance

Abstract

This article uncovers a gap in political perseverance among women. Ample evidence shows that women are discouraged from starting a career in electoral politics, however little is known if after entering a level playing field the trajectory of female candidates converges towards their male counterparts. Measures to increase the number of female candidates, such as list quotas, may not be enough to close the gender gap if women do not persevere in politics for as long as men do. Brazilian data shows that women are much less likely than men to run for elections again after an initial defeat. When a woman and a man loses the same open--list PR election for the municipal council by a margin of ten votes or less, there is only a 47% chance of women will run another election, 13 p.p. less than the man's probability. The research design and additional tests show that education, experience, and discrimination from elites cannot explain the deficit women face. However, examining the future marital statuses of candidates shows that when women are elected they are less likely to get married, indicating a trade--off between political ambition and personal affairs.