Internal Versus Institutional Barriers to Gender Equality: Evidence from British Politics
American Economic Review · 2026 · N. S. Arun Kumar、U.S. Senator Mike Lee、Matt Lowe、Olaitan Ogunnote
中文摘要
每周抽签决定哪些政客能在男性主导且嘈杂的议事厅中向英国首相提问。抽签获胜者在下次选举中的得票率优势高出4个百分点，但女性提交问题的可能性比同队列男性低12%。这一性别差距并未随抽签带来的提问经历而缩小，但在提问形式改变、改为向规模更小且更安静的听众提问后消失。这一形式转变差异性地吸引了声音更轻的女性参与。我们的发现支持以制度变革而非个人经历作为应对英国议会这类对抗性环境中性别差距的手段。(JEL D44, D72, J16)
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. (JEL D44, D72, J16)