The DOI matches its Crossref record; 60 of the 60 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
How Are Political Institutions Gendered?
Open accessAbstract
Understanding the role of institutions can help explain why gender equality policies often fail and why the efforts of gender equality advocates are frequently frustrated. Focusing on micro-foundations and using cases from comparative politics, the article builds a model that specifies the mechanisms whereby political institutions are systematically gendered. Political opportunities and outcomes are shaped not only by rules ‘about gender’ but also by seemingly neutral rules that have ‘gendered effects’, due to their interaction with institutions outside the realm of formal politics. Rules shape behaviour in gendered ways through mechanisms of regulation, obligation and persuasion. Actors reproduce gendered institutions through enacting rules, but they also generate change through adapting, resisting or reforming them. The article specifies concepts and methods for researching how political institutions are gendered within and across political systems. It also identifies points of intervention for those seeking to build more gender-just political institutions.
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“Even rules that may on the face of them seem neutral can reflect, structure, and reinforce an asymmetrical allocation of opportunities, resources, and recognition between privileged and underprivileged groups (Kenney, 1996;Lowndes, 2020).”
From Intersectional power struggles in feminist movements: An analysis of resistance and counter‐resistance to intersectionality (2024) · cites this paper as Lowndes, 2020
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Cites
Hegemonic Masculinity: Rethinking the Concept
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Items 201–205 of 205
Leburu, G. E., Skhosana, R. M., & Maupye, M. (2026) · Social Sciences · doi:10.3390/socsci15100683
An Intersectional Theory of Gendered Political Violence Under Sectarian Systems
Saadi, F., & Verge, T. (2026) · Politics & Gender · doi:10.1017/s1743923x26101111
“Building on this, we adopt the notion of “ gendered actors ” (Lowndes 2020; Mackay et al. 2010) to refer to institutionally embedded individuals and groups whose strategies, decisions, and authority are informed by gendered logics.”
Nodipha, O. G., & Mdhluli, N. I. (2026) · Frontiers in Sociology · doi:10.3389/fsoc.2026.1957241
“Feminist institutional scholarship demonstrates how formal and informal rules continue to produce gendered effects even where official policies change (Grahn, 2024; Lowndes, 2020).”
Political Cadre Development and the Strengthening of Women’s Representation
Sulasih, S., Kusuma, A. R., Apriani, F., & Bato, B. E. (2026) · SHS Web of Conferences · doi:10.1051/shsconf/202623903005
Fachrezzi, B. R., & Fajri, K. F. (2026) · Qualitative Research in Financial Markets · doi:10.1108/qrfm-11-2025-0403
Metadata
- Authors
- Lowndes, V.
- Affiliations
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Lowndes, Vivien
- ORCID
- Lowndes, Vivien
- Venue
- Political Studies
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-08-29
- Volume
- 68
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 543-564
- ISSN
- 0032-3217 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9248
- OpenAlex
- W2971269744
- Cited by
- 205
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 47 · 2025: 60 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 19.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- Political Studies (publishedVersion)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- european research council (Understanding Institutional Change: A Gender Perspective)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Politics and Representation
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Diversity and Inequality
- Keywords
- gendered institutions, gender equality policy, microfoundations, political institutions, gender and politics, regulation, persuasion, institutional change, gender justice, comparative politics
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