Karen Beckwith, the Flora Stone Mather Professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University, recently wrote an article investigating women’s routes toward executive political leadership in the European Union. Published as a chapter of the book Women and Leadership in the European Union, Beckwith’s “Becoming Prime Minister: Women and Executive Power in EU Member States” explores whether there are gender-specific pathways to political power that benefit women in EU countries.
In her article, Beckwith found no association regarding the presence of female prime ministers among a country’s age and/or political affiliation. Further, Beckwith discussed a dearth of female leadership in EU states, in which female prime ministers do not finish a complete term in office and leave office younger than their male counterparts.