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Internal versus Institutional Barriers to Gender Equality: Evidence from British Politics

Noor Kumar¹; Uyseok Lee²; Matt Lowe²; Olaitan Ogunnote²

¹ Princeton (email: ) · ² University of British Columbia (email: )

Weekly lotteries determine which politicians ask the UK prime minister a question in front of a male-dominated, noisy chamber. Lottery winners receive 4 percent higher vote margin in the next election, but women are 12 percent less likely to submit questions than same-cohort men. The gender gap does not close with lottery-induced experience asking a question, but it closes after a format change, with questions asked to a smaller, quieter audience. The switch differentially draws in women with quieter voices. Our findings support institutional change, rather than experience, as a response to gender gaps in adversarial settings like the UK Parliament. (JEL D44, D72, J16)

DOI

10.1257/aer.20241127

Volume

116 (5)

Pages

1914-1953

Language

en

Export

BibTeX

Sources

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