Internal Versus Institutional Barriers to Gender Equality: Evidence from British Politics

Abstract

Weekly lotteries determine which politicians ask the UK Prime Minister a question in front of a male-dominated, packed, and noisy chamber. Women are 12% less likely to submit questions than same-cohort men, and this gap does not close with lottery-induced experience asking a question, or with years of service. However, the gender gap almost fully closes after a switch to a format in which questions are asked to a smaller, quieter, audience. The switch differentially draws in women with quieter voices. Our findings support institutional change, rather than adaptation through experience, as a response to gender gaps in adversarial settings.

Keywords: gender gap, public speaking, gender norms, politician behaviour

JEL Classification: J160, D910, D720