Do Female Politicians Matter for Female Labor Market Outcomes? Evidence from Italy - Federica Pennino

Year
2026
Organisation
Columbia University
Tags
Female Representation
Women in Politics
Labour Market
Italy
gender equality
Political Economy
Electoral Reform
Women’s Employment
public policy
Role Models
Childcare Policy
Flexible Working
education
gender norms
Female Labour Participation
Political Science
Economics
social change
workforce participation
ageing population
Pension Systems
gender studies
causal inference
public finance
Economic Development
representation
Feminist Economics
social policy
labour economics
Political Representation
Summary

This research investigates whether increasing female political representation affects labour market participation and education outcomes. Using electoral reforms in Italy as a natural experiment, the study finds that greater female representation increased workforce participation among working-age women while encouraging younger women to remain in education, demonstrating broader economic and social effects of political representation.