Putting the European Parliament's gender exceptionalism to the test: MEPs’ specialisation in masculine and feminine policy domains in parliamentary questions

Abstract

The European Parliament is often presented as a success story regarding women's representation. Yet, recent studies observe gendered patterns in parliamentary behaviour. This article contributes to this scholarship by studying gender differences in MEPs’ parliamentary behaviour on ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ policy domains. Analysing 136,787 parliamentary questions over 25 years (1994–2019), the study reveals moderate gender differences in MEPs’ behaviour. Moreover, gender differences are influenced by seniority and women's numerical presence in the European Parliament's political groups. Gender-stereotypical policy foci are more pronounced among newcomers and disappear for experienced MEPs. In political groups with fewer women, seniority is key for women MEPs seeking engagement in masculine policy domains. Overall, our findings underscore the interplay between gender, seniority, and women's presence in shaping MEPs’ parliamentary behaviour within the European Parliament’s gendered context.