Do Female/Male Distinctions in Language Matter? Evidence from Gender Political Quotas

Abstract

This article studies the determinants of gender political quota and enforcement sanctions, two key policy instruments for increasing female participation in politics. We find a novel empirical fact: language (the pervasiveness of gender distinctions in grammar) is the most significant related variable to quota adoption, more than traditional explanations such as economic development, political system and religion.

Keywords: culture, development, gender quotas, grammar, language

JEL Classification: K0,017, Z1