Right “Man” For The Job? The Influence Of Gender On Civil–Military Friction

Keywords

civil–military relations; coups and conflicts; female leaders; female representation; gender issues

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of women in politics on the risk of a coup d’état. Previous research indicates that the relationship between female political leaders and security is dependent on the office she holds. Subsequently, we expect female legislators to have a different influence than a female chief executive on the likelihood of a coup. We argue that a higher level of female representation reduces the risk of a coup d’état. However, we assert that a female chief executive has a different effect and increases coup risk. Using data covering 160 states over the years 1952 to 2009, our empirical tests provide support for our expectations. All else being equal, increased levels of women in parliament lead to a substantial drop in coup likelihood. However, the argument that a female chief executive will be more coup prone is not fully supported in our findings.

Publication Date

7-1-2018

Publication Title

Armed Forces and Society

Volume

44

Issue

3

Number of Pages

460-475

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X17700390

Socpus ID

85047978809 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85047978809

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