Gendered political institutions

This entry examines the evolution of Feminist Institutionalism (FI) as a key framework for understanding how political institutions are shaped by and reproduce gendered power relations. While mainstream political science only recently returned to institutional analysis, feminist scholars have long highlighted the centrality of gender in institutional processes. We review two decades of FI scholarship, emphasizing the role of formal and informal rules, mechanisms of continuity and change, and the persistence of gendered hierarchies. We explore methodological innovations such as institutional ethnography and multimethod research, and stress the need for intersectional and globally inclusive approaches. In the context of democratic backsliding and rising anti-gender movements, we call for renewed focus on the resilience of gender-equitable reforms and the strategies used to defend or undermine them. FI, we argue, remains vital for analysing and transforming political institutions to promote gender justice.