Theme Panel: Pathways to Women’s Political Leadership

August 20, 2025 APSA Annual Meeting, Theme Panels Comments Off on Theme Panel: Pathways to Women’s Political Leadership

Co-sponsored by Division 11: Comparative Politics

In-Person Full Paper Panel

Participants:

  • (Chair) Christina Wolbrecht, University of Notre Dame
  • (Discussant) Dawn L. Teele, Johns Hopkins University
  • (Discussant) Rikhil R Bhavnani, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Session Description:
Women’s political underrepresentation remains a global challenge. Even when women achieve electoral success, entrenched elites and party gatekeepers often hinder their leadership. This panel brings together papers from diverse contexts—Zambia, the United Kingdom, and India—to examine pathways to women’s political leadership. Davis et al. employ a novel network survey of candidates to explore women’s influence on policymaking in Zambia. Prillaman et al. analyze novel data to assess the actual and perceived political authority of women elected via quotas in India. Senk et al. utilize structural topic models and data from press releases to study how women govern when elected to top leadership positions in the United Kingdom. Karekurve-Ramachandra et al. use novel administrative data to reveal male gatekeeping in quota seats in rural India.