See Jane judge: descriptive representation and diffuse support for a State Supreme Court

Group Gender Composition and Perceptions of Legitimacy

“…Thus, descriptive representation can improve the quality of policies, particularly regarding women and other marginalized groups (Banducci, Donovan and Karp 2004), and bolster the legitimacy of legislative bodies. 2 Studies exploring the link between women's descriptive representation and democratic legitimacy have proliferated over the past decade (Atkeson and Carrillo 2007;Clayton, O'Brien and Piscopo 2019;Lee, Solberg and Waltenburg 2021). Research on the symbolic representation of women in politics (i.e., the attitudinal and behavioral effects of women's representation (Lawless 2004)) has found that women's numerical presence in decision-making bodies improves citizens' evaluations of both decisions (i.e., substantive legitimacy) and the decision-making process (Clayton, O'Brien and Piscopo 2019).…”

“…Yet, other studies have shown that increased women's representation may lead to backlash against women (Krook 2015). Women's increased presence in previously male-dominated spaces may trigger "renewed determination by patriarchal forces to maintain and increase the subordination of women" (Walby 1993), particularly when men view women's presence as coming at the expense of their own political influence (Lee, Solberg and Waltenburg 2021). Backlash may manifest as violence against female politicians, be directed to women outside politics whose demands challenge the existing gender hierarchy (Berry, Bouka and Kamuru 2020), or, we maintain, be expressed in attempts to delegitimize gender-balanced committees.…”

“…Descriptive representation may even legitimize decisions which adversely affect women, an effect mainly driven by male responses to female representation (Clayton, O'Brien and Piscopo 2019). However, descriptive representation may not have uniform effects across different settings (Lee, Solberg and Waltenburg 2021). Increased women's representation in decision-making bodies may engender backlash, especially in settings with highly conservative gender norms (Biroli and Caminotti 2020;Yildirim, Kocapınar and Ecevit 2021).…”

Female Representation in Legislative Committees and Perceptions of Legitimacy: Evidence from a Harmonized Experiment in Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia

“…Thus, it can improve the quality of policies, particularly regarding women and other marginalized groups, (Banducci, Donovan and Karp 2004) and bolster the legitimacy of legislative bodies. 2 Studies exploring the link between women's descriptive representation and democratic legitimacy have proliferated over the past decade (Clayton, O'Brien and Piscopo 2019;Lee, Solberg and Waltenburg 2021). Research on the symbolic representation of women in politics (i.e., the attitudinal and behavioral effects of women's representation (Lawless 2004)) has found that women's numerical presence in decision-making bodies improves citizens' evaluations of decisions (i.e., substantive legitimacy) and increases trust in the institutions (i.e., procedural legitimacy) (Clayton, O'Brien and Piscopo 2019).…”

“…Descriptive representation may even legitimize decisions which adversely affect women (Clayton, O'Brien and Piscopo 2019). However, descriptive representation may not have uniform effects across different settings (Lee, Solberg and Waltenburg 2021). Increased women's representation in decision-making bodies may engender backlash, especially in settings with conservative gender norms or less democratic systems (Biroli and Caminotti 2020;Yildirim, Kocapınar and Ecevit 2021).…”