Women's Representation in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, 1992-2005: The Effect of District Economic Development

Abstract

Although representational inequality continues to attract researchers' attention, few studies embark on substantive discussions with regard to variations in women's parliamentary representation across electoral districts. In postcommunist countries, such studies are even more scarce, and Romania in particular has not been considered in this context. This article provides an empirical examination of: (1) the extent of inequality across districts with respect to the number of women in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies; (2) the relative stability of this inequality across multiple legislative periods; and (3) the contributions of economic development variables as determinants of representational inequality. Using a combination of data sources with electoral districts as the units of analyses reveals that although women's overall representation increased, inequality between districts is significant and remains stable across time. Furthermore, once a measure for women's parliamentary representation is standardized for district magnitude, level of economic development is a robust predictor of it, such that the greater the level of economic development, the greater the level of women's representation. Theoretical considerations conclude the article.