For the win! Male politicians are more likely to represent women’s interests if their re-election is at risk

Daniel Höhmann shows that male MPs do play a distinct role in women’s representation and that many of them are willing to represent women’s interest in parliament. However, one of the key drivers of this behaviour seems to be a rational calculation of how they can enhance their re-election prospects, rather than an intrinsic motivation to stand up for gender equality: male MPs are significantly more likely to speak on behalf of women if their re-election security is low and if they are therefore forced to cater to additional (female) voters to get re-elected.