How institutions shape the gender bias: Parliaments, parties and women participation in debates in Ghana and South Africa

Most studies agree that the feminization of institutions matters to explain gender bias in participation in debates. However, studies are yet to pinpoint which institutions – parliaments or parties – play a larger role in driving such gender bias. Additionally, the effect of feminization on women participation in debates is still unclear: some studies find no effect, others find a negative effect, others a positive effect. This study advances existing discussion by testing two hypotheses. First, it tests whether increased presence of women in parties and parliaments increases women participation in debates (access). Second, it tests whether this effects changes when women attain positions of leadership and seniority in parliament (bonus). The paper draws on original datasets of parliamentary speeches in Ghana (2005-2023) and South Africa (1999-2023); two democracies with distinct political institutions and history of women representation in parliament. Our preliminary findings reveal that gender bias in speechmaking is generally driven by the parties, rather than parliaments. Furthermore, female MPs have no bonus – in terms of increased opportunities to speak – when they attain higher positions in parliament.