Are women more interrupted in politics? Evidence from 494,084 French Senate speeches (Job Market paper)
Abstract: Gender quotas in politics have become increasingly common worldwide. This global diffusion reflects a profound shift in how democracies seek to address women's under-representation in political institutions. However, little is known about how women elected through gender-quota rules affect the perceptions and treatment of women once they enter the legislature. I employ a difference-in-differences (DID) design to identify the causal effect of a gender quota based election on the likelihood that women are interrupted during their speeches in the French Senate.
Are women in politics held to higher emotional standards than men? (co-authored with Quentin Lippmann, AMSE)
Abstract: This paper investigates whether female politicians face constraints on emotional expressions and quantifies their electoral consequences. Using a comprehensive dataset of candidate manifesto images from the 2022 and 2024 French parliamentary elections, we first establish two empirical facts: (i) female candidates are 16 percentage points more likely to display positive emotions than male counterparts and (ii) female candidates not displaying positive emotions receive lower vote share, while comparable male candidates do not. Second, we implement a between subject randomized experiment to study the causal effects of gendered emotional expressions. We generate images of politicians with varied facial expressions using artificial intelligence methods. We then ask subjects to evaluate identical candidates displaying different emotional expressions. We find that a neutral expression reduces vote intentions, perceived warmth, and perceived attractiveness for female candidates more than for male candidates, while leaving perceived competence unchanged for both groups. This asymmetric pattern suggests that female politicians are held to a higher emotional standard than their male counterparts.
English Press: The Conversation, French Press: The Conversation Fr
Political Polarization and Gender Equality in Law in OECD Countries (co-authored with François Facchini, CES, UP1)
Abstract: The polarization of political debate raises important questions about democracy. This article investigates the impact of political polarization on gender equality in law within OECD democracies. Using the World Bank (2024) dataset, which includes data from 37 OECD countries between 1971 and 2023, we construct a macrobalanced panel dataset. Through a fixed-effect model, our analysis reveals a negative correlation between political polarization and the legal gender equality index. Furthermore, the results suggest that while women's representation in political institutions is essential for advancing women's rights, it is not alone sufficient to guarantee full equality between men and women.