Council positions that women rarely occupy: gender bias in city councils

BarcelonaOne of the challenges facing local governments—and institutional politics in general—is reversing the historically negligible presence of women in political parties and administrations. Although the number of women on electoral lists and in council and mayoral positions has multiplied over the last decade, significant gaps still exist in the types of responsibilities men and women assume in city councils, and parity has not been achieved in the mayoral positions.

According to data from the Catalan Women's Institute (ICD), the portfolios of Social Services, Education, Health, and Community Welfare are typically headed by women. Social Services is particularly notable: in 75.3% of Catalan city councils, a woman holds the portfolio. In the case of Education, Health, and Community Welfare, the percentage of women is 65%.%. In contrast, in Security, Sports, Housing and Urban Planning, Infrastructure, and Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, there is a man in charge in two out of three cases.

This bias is explained, according to political scientist Sílvia Claveria, "by gender stereotypes and unequal responsibility for caregiving," which makes women "feel more capable" of addressing issues related to this area and, at the same time, causes political parties and citizens to be more suspicious and criticize them more harshly when they take office. Furthermore, the fact that they do not manage to lead areas that are considered more relevant creates another disadvantage for them: since council positions held by men are usually associated with positions of "prestige and visibility," this allows them to use them as a springboard to advance political careers and reach positions of greater power, Claveria explains.

More female mayors for less population

To achieve parity, parties committed to equality have been presenting zipper lists for years, a quantitative mechanism that has no direct impact on the allocation of portfolios. Although it doesn't address the bias in assuming responsibilities in specific areas, it has been helpful in increasing the number of female councilors and mayors. However, there is a nuance: in small municipalities, the ratio of male to female mayors has almost always been higher than in large municipalities.

In fact, last term, municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants came closer than ever to parity, with 37.69% of mayors being female. This term, the figure has decreased (there are 27.54%).%), breaking the upward trend that had been maintained until now in the municipalities with the largest populations. According to Claveria, this fact is likely due to circumstantial causes such as which candidates the parties present and which parties win power.

The upward trend in the number of female mayors does continue in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. Last term, only 22.67% of mayoralties were held by women, and in the current term, the percentage has risen slightly to 26.91%. One difference compared to large cities, as noted by Claveria, can be explained by the fact that in small municipalities, being a councilor is still a second job. "Councilors in small municipalities often can't live on what they earn," she recalls, and work at City Hall ends up being "an addition" to the eight hours they work outside of the council. "If women already work outside the home and take on more caregiving duties, this inevitably means that fewer of them can take on responsibilities in local governments, because it would mean a third job," she explains.