What Role Do Women in Politics Play for Democratic Erosion?

Emelyn Rodriguez

OAI: oai:digitalcommons.ursinus.edu:pol_sum-1025

Many democracies have recently experienced episodes of democratic backsliding. This project aims to determine how the inclusion of women in politics might prevent democratic backsliding. Quantitatively, we describe the development of female representation and empowerment during democratic consolidation and erosion, using data from the Varieties of Democracy project, covering most countries in the world 1946-2019. Qualitatively, we use a case study of the experience of the Dominican Republic to explore (1) the legacy of female activists for democratic consolidation, (2) the role of female activists in current democratic consolidation, and (3) the emergence of gender-related rights advocacy on social media.

Dominican Republic Democracy erosion women in politics Political Science Social and Behavioral Sciences Women's Studies