The GENPOLEAD project is composed by three research units which deal with different issues related to the role of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation in accessing political leadership.
Research Units
1.
Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Pavia
The research deals with the role of gender in accessing political leadership, with a special focus on Italy, both at the national and regional level. The broad research questions are:
- How does gender impact political careers?
- How does gender interact with other aspects, such as age and political experience, in shaping politicians’ chances to leadership?
To address these questions, the researchers analyze the determinants of political careers overall as well as the main systemic or institutional obstacles for women’s leadership to arise. Both the theoretical definition of women’s political leadership and the empirical investigation of the presence of differences in male and female politicians’ careers are at the core of the work carried out by this research unit.
2.
Department of Human Sciences of the University of Verona – Research center PoliTeSse
The research aims to study, from an intersectional perspective, the role that sexual orientation and gender identity play in the political careers of LGBTQIA+ people, also including their trajectory of activism and their access to leadership positions in political parties and local, national, European or international institutions.
Therefore, the research aims to analyze the contextual factors that influence LGBTQIA+ elected politicians careers and to study the socio-biographical factors that characterize individual trajectories and profiles. Both systemic and institutional factors and organizational factors within parties or social movements will be considered.
3.
Department of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Milan
The research primarily focuses on the relationship between gender political equality and democracy, based on two main theoretical pillars. On the one hand, the idea that gender political equality is achieved through participation, representation but also, crucially, access to leadership positions. On the other hand, the idea that democracy is not only a possible means through which to achieve gender political equality, but is itself influenced by the ability of a polity to achieve gender political equality.
By analyzing the literature on gender equality and democracy and reassessing extant measures of democracy and gender political equality, the research will propose a new Gender Political Leadership Index to be applied to assess the quality of democracy in Italy and to measure differences both at the cross-national and at the sub-national levels.