Multi-Member Districts and the Representation of Women: Evidence from Britain and the United States

Abstract

Recent research has suggested a link between multi-member district plurality elections and greater representation of women. Those proposing such a link argue that women may prefer to be candidates in multi-member systems, that their election is facilitated by greater turnover in multi-member systems, and that multi-member systems give voters and party leaders an opportunity to exercise a sort of electoral affirmative action. These possibilities are tested using data on more than 13,000 candidates for office in British and U.S. subnational elections. In general, the link between multi-member plurality systems and women's representation is small and occurs only in some systems. The paper concludes with suggestions for future avenues of exploration of the link between political structure and women's electability.