Public Administrations as Gendered Organizations. The Case of Spanish Municipalities

Abstract

This paper examines the political responsibilities of women in local
governments of 155 town councils across Spain. The main objective is
to examine the situation of female politicians within municipal
governments, focusing on the division of power roles (vertical
segregation) and the different areas of government (horizontal
segregation). We suggest that the gender roles/stereotypes approach
may explain the situation of women in formal politics and the
inequalities that we have found in these local governments. This
approach is combined with the power theory. Thus, a key factor in
explaining this situation may also be the dominant role of men in
traditional power structures.