Gender and political careers in Latin America: the gap in lawmaker longevity

Abstract

This article analyses Latin American women MPs’ prospects of developing a legislative career that can grant them a stable pathway within parliament. Based on data for 18 Latin American countries from the Latin American Elites project (PELA-USAL), a range of different determinants are tested that potentially impact parliamentarians’ longevity: ambition and dedication, political career, political party and the sociodemographic characteristics of the MPs themselves. For female members of parliament, ta comparison is made of the relative importance of factors that the literature on gender has found to be significant. The findings reveal that parliamentary careers are gendered, as the factors that affect the likelihood of continuing in office differ between male and female lawmakers.

Keywords

• latin america
• gender
• lawmaker longevity
• political career
• ambition
• political party