Representation and Gendered Patterns in Presidential Cabinets

My research on political representation examines gendered patterns of executive appointments, promotions, and dismissals in East Asian presidential cabinets. Using quantitative analyses of more than 1,500 cabinet ministers' profiles and political contexts where ministers are appointed, promoted, and dismissed in four East Asian cases (Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan), my research contributes new findings from East and Southeast Asia, an understudied region in gender and cabinet studies.

1. Gendered Careers in Presidential Cabinets: The Role of Political Experience for Women in Asian New Democracies (R&R)

In this article, we study whether there is gender discrimination in career paths within presidential cabinets. Departing from past studies that focus on more established democracies in Europe and the Americas, we argue that a defining feature of presidential systems—the chief executive’s freedom to choose and promote cabinet appointees regardless of their political experience—can differentially affect the cabinet careers of men and women in newer democracies outside the West. Using fixed effects and matching designs, we analyze original data on the careers of 1,374 ministers from all major presidential democracies in Asia. We find important gender differences based on political experience: past experience in national politics helps women’s advancement in cabinet more than men. Understanding these gender differences in pathways to higher office is important because the presence of female ministers in key policy areas has consequences for the substantive and symbolic representation of women in society.

2. Democratization and Women's Representation in Presidential Cabinets: Evidence from East and Southeast Asia (published in Asian Journal of Political Science)

This article examines patterns of women's cabinet representation across all presidential democracies in East and Southeast Asia since democratization. It demonstrates how the choice of female ministers differs across career backgrounds in presidential systems and further examines why young presidential systems in Asia are conducive to women's access to ministerial power through professional career tracks. We argue that despite women's successful performance in national legislative elections, women have been restricted to access the power resources necessary to target other political goals, such as cabinet positions, whereas democratic transition has provided broader avenues for women to emerge as professionals outside party politics. By analyzing original data on female ministers in East and Southeast Asia, the study finds that the share of women among professional ministers has increased over time, but women's share among political ministers has not changed significantly. Additionally, the different qualifications of female politicians and professionals also make them eligible for appointment to different types of policy areas in terms of prestige and gender. Our analysis suggests that women's cabinet representation has improved overall since democratic transition in Asia, but this improvement disguises contrasting outcomes in women's cabinet status according to their career backgrounds.