Working Paper: NBER ID: w14893
Authors: Stefano Gagliarducci; M. Daniele Paserman
Abstract: This paper studies gender interactions within hierarchical organizations using a large data set on the duration of Italian municipal governments elected between 1993 and 2003. A municipal government can be viewed as a hierarchy, whose stability over time depends on the degree of cooperation between and within ranks. \n \nWe find that in municipalities headed by female mayors, the probability of early termination of the legislature is higher. This result persists and becomes stronger when we control for municipality fixed effects as well as non-random sorting of women into municipalities using regression discontinuity in gender-mixed electoral races decided by a narrow margin. \n \nThe likelihood that a female mayor survives until the end of her term is lowest when the council is entirely male, and in regions with less favorable attitudes towards working women. The evidence is suggestive that female mayors are less able at fostering cooperation among men, or alternatively, that men are more reluctant to be headed by women. Other interpretations receive less support in the data. Our results may provide an alternative explanation for the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions.
Keywords: gender; hierarchies; politics; municipal governments; cooperation
JEL Codes: J16; M54
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| female mayor (J79) | higher probability of early termination of municipal legislature (J26) |
| male mayor (J79) | lower probability of early termination of municipal legislature (H79) |
| female mayor in male council (J16) | lowest likelihood of surviving term (C41) |
| female mayor in gender-mixed races (J16) | higher probability of early termination (C41) |