Merete Bech Seeberg

Project title

Don’t fix the woman, fix the problem: The effect of external barriers on potential women candidates in minimalist democracies (FIX)

What is your project about?

Why do so few women become politicians – especially in new democracies in the Global South – and what can we do about it? Although increased representation of women leads to better public health and a lower risk of war, women make up only one in four parliamentarians worldwide. I argue that the main problem is not that women are less politically ambitious than men. It is external barriers – such as conservative gender norms, corruption, and harassment – that keep women out of politics. Through interviews, surveys, and experiments in Zambia and Malawi, I analyze how external barriers affect women's and men's decisions to enter politics. I then develop new methods to get women on the ballot, not by training the women themselves, but by influencing the political environment that surrounds them.

How did you become interested in your particular field of research?

I grew up with a passion for travelling, a deep interest in society, and a curiosity about the world. During my studies in London, I became fascinated by elections that look radically different from those we know in Den-mark. What role do elections play in dictatorships and new democracies, where rules are deliberately broken or institutions lack the capacity to enforce them? Doing fieldwork for my PhD, particularly on the African conti-nent, I realized that these challenges are not gender-neutral. Electoral manipulation and political violence affect women politicians differently from men. In my new project, I move backwards in the political pipeline and ask how these external barriers shape the decision to enter politics in the first place.

What are the scientific challenges and perspectives in your project?

Every year, governments and NGOs around the world spend enormous sums encouraging women to enter politics. My project aims to explain why women do not run for office in the Global South, and in doing so, shed light on a significant societal challenge. In collaboration with local and international NGOs, I will contribute scien-tifically tested programs that focus on changing the conditions surrounding elections, rather than simply training the women. As we live in a world where elections are becoming increasingly contentious and liberal gender norms are under pressure even in some established democracies, my project may also offer new insights into women's pathways into politics in the Global North, where we have primarily focused on the women themselves rather than on the external barriers they face.

What is your estimate of the impact, which your project may have to society in the long term?

Every year, governments and NGOs around the world spend enormous sums encouraging women to enter politics. My project aims to explain why women do not run for office in the Global South, and in doing so, shed light on a significant societal challenge. In collaboration with local and international NGOs, I will contribute scien-tifically tested programs that focus on changing the conditions surrounding elections, rather than simply training the women. As we live in a world where elections are becoming increasingly contentious and liberal gender norms are under pressure even in some established democracies, my project may also offer new insights into women's pathways into politics in the Global North, where we have primarily focused on the women themselves rather than on the external barriers they face

Which impact do you expect the Sapere Aude programme will have on your career as a researcher?

Being named a Sapere Aude research leader is both a tremendous honor and a profound responsibility. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to bring together leading international researchers in the field, recruit tal-ented early-career scholars, collaborate with organizations and colleagues on the African continent, and put my research ideas to the test in the real world, where they have the potential to make a genuine difference. Having the time and resources to do so is a truly unique opportunity.