American Economic Review Vol. 116 No. 5 2026
Internal versus Institutional Barriers to Gender Equality: Evidence from British Politics
open access
Abstract
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.
- DOI
- 10.1257/aer.20241127
- Volume
- 116
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1914-1953
- Language
- en
- Sources
- openalex crossref