Substantive Representation of Women’s Interests: Chile, 1990–2020

ABSTRACT This research note presents an empirical test aimed at untangling the factors that explain the substantive representation of women’s interests in the legislative arena. We hand-coded over 7000 parliamentarians’ bills introduced in the Chilean Chamber of Deputies between 1990 and 2020. Our results show, first, that female legislators are more active than men in sponsoring bills that favour women’s interests, especially regarding feminist claims. Secondly, we find that female parliamentarians from leftist parties are more likely to embrace feminist claims in their bills than female legislators from right-wing parties. By contrast, women from the right initiate more often bills associated with women’s traditional role.