This research focuses on the gendered nature of legislative institutions by examining the conflict resolution styles of state legislative committee chairs. Based on a survey of 285 state legislative committee chairs, focus groups and individual interviews, the study examines a sizeable cohort of men and women engaged in fundamentally similar leadership tasks but under varying institutional circumstances and in more than a single state. The research finds that women committee chairs raise their voices to resolve conflicts in a different way from their male colleagues. More importantly, the study shows how gender composition of the membership, the distribution of gender power, and the extent of professionalization influence conflict resolution style. These data challenge the predominant view of legislative leadership as transactional behavior and suggest the need to consider whether masculine behavior and institutional norms have been conflated.
Current analysis focuses on both the origins and effectiveness of such agencies.
However, such analysis is predominantly based on studies from the developed world. Thus, examination of individual cases from the developing world can expand our understanding of the potential of state equality advocacy by extending comparative empirical and theoretical perspectives on gender and the state. This paper presents the case of the Venezuelan agency for women. One of the oldest agencies in the region, it has changed considerably over the course of its history. It has proved to be a major catalyst for gender equality advocacy but also demonstrates the potential risks of institutionalizing such advocacy.