Article

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

Victor Gay, Estefania Santacreu-Vasut, and Amir Shoham

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; Language;

JEL codes

  • K00: General
  • O17: Formal and Informal Sectors • Shadow Economy • Institutional Arrangements
  • Z13: Economic Sociology • Economic Anthropology • Social and Economic Stratification

Reference

Victor Gay, Estefania Santacreu-Vasut, and Amir Shoham, “Do Female/Male Distinctions in Language Matter? Evidence from Gender Political Quotas”, Applied Economics Letters, vol. 20, n. 5, 2013, pp. 495–498.

Published in

Applied Economics Letters, vol. 20, n. 5, 2013, pp. 495–498