Abstract
A great deal of scholarship examines why women face barriers to elected office, but very little research examines why a substantial gender gap exists in voting in elections. Women are less likely than men to vote in parliamentary elections by ten percentage points or more in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. Using original data from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, this paper tests competing modernization and employment theories drawn from work by Norris and Inglehart and Ross and a novel theory related to the clientelistic context. The findings reveal that the drivers of lack of engagement in local and national elections—for women and men—lie not modernization but lack of personal connections to politicians. The findings have important implications for policymakers seeking to spur women’s political participation and reduce under-representation of women in politics.
Discipline
Geographic Area
Algeria
All Middle East
Arab States
Fertile Crescent
Jordan
Libya
Maghreb
Mashreq
Mediterran
Sub Area
