Resumen de Gender and legislative committees in Africa: a study of Rwanda and South Africa

Saaka Sulemana Saaka, Abiba Yayah

• Are female legislators treated equally in comparison to their male peers in theorganisation of parliamentary committees? This study investigates thedynamics of legislative committee assignments in Rwanda and South Africa.We analyze data on 1257 committee appointments across two legislativeterms from 2010 to 2023. Despite comparable educational and professionalbackgrounds between male and female parliamentarians, our findingshighlight the persistent influence of gender on the organisation of legislativecommittees. Specifically, women are significantly more likely to be assignedto committees that are stereotypically considered feminine and of lowerprestige. By shedding light on these patterns, this nuanced researchcontributes to our understanding of how work in legislative committees isinfluenced by gender roles.