Women's Representation in European Parliamentary Elections: A Second-Order Approach?

Abstract

Elections to the European Parliament (EP) fall within the category of second-order national elections. Given the fact that these types of elections do not lead to the formation of government there is less at stake and, as a result, voters behave differently when casting their ballots. But what about political parties: do they also perceive the less-at-stake character of second-order elections in a similar fashion as voters and hence behave differently as well? This article draws on available electoral data related to women’s representation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to explicitly link the second-order election model to independent actions of political parties. The results show that women candidates have (1) more positions and better ranking on ballot lists (equality of opportunities) as well as (2) better chances of getting elected (equality of results) when running in SOEs. Political parties remain the primary gate-keepers to political office and increasing women’s political representation will depend on whether they have a strategic incentive to promote women and to improve their chances of being elected. In this sense, the EP is a key space for the promotion of women, given the second-order character of EP elections.