Roksana Gorgolewski
Major/Minor: Economics, Political Science, Peace Studies
Title: How new constitutions and conflict can support gender parity in legislatures
Abstract: In the past thirty years, a global trend of democratization and greater gender parity has influenced nations to rewrite their constitutions, putting more of an emphasis on equality among the sexes. The 1980’s in particular is cited with hosting a newfound constitutionalism. Reading Amrita Basu’s Women’s Movements in the Global Era:The Power of Local Feminisms and M.E. Berry’s War, Women, and Power: From violence to mobilization in Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina highlights the unique opportunity time post-conflict offers to disrupt existing gender roles. This project explores determinants of gender parity in national legislatures among nations with newly ratified constitutions, adding a focus on the particular function conflict plays regarding gender quotas and constitutional re-working. Each nation analyzed either experienced significant conflict between 1989-2019 and ratified a new constitution between the same range. Other variables which aid this inquiry include the measures of gender inequality, political rights score, and the intensity of conflict. The methodology rests upon quantitative research. An original dataset was created, looking at fifty-six nations with newly ratified constitutions, taking variable data from Uppsala University, the World Bank, International IDEA, and the University of Michigan, among others. The project uses regression analysis to determine correlations and potential causes of gender disparity among national legislators. Expected results would conclude that in nations that rewrote their constitutions to include a gender quota and experienced conflict, which lead to the writing of the constitution, women hold a greater role in national legislatures by holding onto greater percentages of seats.
