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Do female leaders choose women? evidence from visible and hidden appointments

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Cintolesi

    (Bank of Italy)

  • Edoardo Frattola

    (Bank of Italy)

Abstract

We study whether female leaders appoint more women to executive positions than their male counterparts. We use mixed-gender close elections in Italian municipalities since 1993 and observe the share of women appointed by mayors to the local government (visible appointments) and to the boards of directors of municipal state-owned enterprises (hidden appointments). We find that when a woman narrowly defeats a man, the share of women appointed to visible positions drops by 5.7 percentage points, while the share of women appointed to hidden positions does not change. The effect does not appear until the early 2000s, when gender issues began to receive attention, and it occurs earlier in regions where public opinion is more sensitive to gender equality. These findings suggest that male leaders appoint more women to visible positions because they are subject to greater scrutiny on gender issues than female leaders.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Cintolesi & Edoardo Frattola, 2023. "Do female leaders choose women? evidence from visible and hidden appointments," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1432, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:wptemi:td_1432_23
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    File URL: https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/temi-discussione/2023/2023-1432/en_tema_1432.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brollo, Fernanda & Troiano, Ugo, 2016. "What happens when a woman wins an election? Evidence from close races in Brazil," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 28-45.
    2. Agata Maida & Andrea Weber, 2022. "Female Leadership and Gender Gap within Firms: Evidence from an Italian Board Reform," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 75(2), pages 488-515, March.
    3. Anthony Downs, 1957. "An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 65(2), pages 135-135.
    4. Fidan Ana Kurtulus & Donald Tomaskovic-Devey, 2012. "Do Female Top Managers Help Women to Advance? A Panel Study Using EEO-1 Records," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 639(1), pages 173-197, January.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender; female leaders; close elections; appointments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • M50 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - General

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