Study Suggests that a Leader's Gender Plays a Role in Local Government Policymaking

March 23, 2021

The gist:

There's a lot in the news right now about how womxn global leaders have outperformed male leaders during the pandemic(to the tune of fewer deaths and better general outcomes.) But what about on the local level? Does it correlate that womxn's leadership has a similar impact there?

It seems as if a new Binghamton University and State University of New York study, by Kristina Lambright, associate professor of public administration, and George Homsy, associate professor of public administration and director of the environmental studies program, suggests that yes, it does.

The authors set out to explore that correlation": specifically 'between female leadership and a local government's adoption of sustainability policies.'

The faxx:

• Local governments "with a female leader adopted 29.2 percent more community energy policies than communities with male leaders."

• The researchers also found "a 12.7 percent increase in the number of redistributive programs in communities headed by women" that "supported vulnerable populations by bolstering the social safety net."

Furthermore, the targeted programs include incentivizing affordable housing and funding childcare, which falls in line with the issues that female politicians overwhelmingly have in their platforms.

There you have it. More #faxx showing that not only can and do woman political leaders make a difference, but they also make a difference an only woman can.

Read more here.