Female MPs more vocal under female leadership

Female MPs are roughly 20% more vocal in parliamentary debates where the cabinet minister is female than when the responsible minister is male, finds a new study by UCL. The research, published in the British Journal of Political Science , is the first to consider whether female leadership affects the processes or outcomes of political debate. The study analysed 14,320 debates and almost half a million speeches between 1997 and 2017, covering a wide range of parliamentary business, including Ministerial Question Time and substantive motions. The new research shows that the presence of female political leaders amplifies the voice of other women in politics, promotes increased participation and influences other women in policy making. Study author, Dr Jack Blumenau (UCL Political Science) comments: "The results show that female leadership has important effects on the experiences of female MPs in political debate. Not only is it vital for participation, it also matters for ensuring that the interests of women are represented in the policy process and that the issues female MPs raise are worthy of governmental concern." Female cabinet ministers also increase the influence of backbenchers, showing that female ministers are significantly more responsive than their male counterparts to the speeches of female backbenchers. While women are more influential in debates when their female colleagues are elevated to high office (cabinet posts, committee chairs and other high profile legislative offices), male influence in debate remains constant regardless of minister gender.