The composition of Spanish parliaments: What are the MPs like?

Abstract

This chapter explores the socio-demographic profile of Spanish MPs in both national and regional parliaments, finding a clearly predominant profile among Spanish MPs: men of advanced age and with university degrees. This common pattern in Western democracies is reproduced also by each of the different parties considered, which systematically under-represent their female, young and less educated voters. MPs from conservative parties are more religious than their electorates, whereas the opposite trend is true for left-wing parties. Finally, although the overwhelming majority of Spanish MPs belong (based on their professional status) to the more privileged social classes, almost half of them were born into working-class or intermediate-class families. The other half of Spanish MPs have reproduced their families’ (relatively privileged) social position.