Higher Female Representation in Parliament Is Linked to Greater Public Trust, New Global Research Shows
New academic research suggests that when more women are represented in national parliaments, citizens tend to place greater trust in those institutions. The findings come from a large-scale study conducted by researchers at the University of St Andrews, adding fresh evidence to the growing discussion around political representation, legitimacy, and democratic trust.
The study was published on Friday, 19 December, as part of the Routledge Handbook of Gender and Corruption, and it draws on one of the most extensive datasets ever used to examine public trust in political institutions. Rather than focusing on a single country or region, the research takes a global and long-term perspective, offering insights that are relevant to democracies around the world.
What the Researchers Studied
The research team, based at the University of St Andrews Business School, analyzed data from the Integrated Values Surveys, a uniquely comprehensive dataset that brings together multiple global surveys measuring political attitudes and values.
In total, the dataset covered:
- 107 countries
- A time span from 1990 to 2022
- More than 492,000 individual survey responses
This wide scope allowed the researchers to track how changes within countries over time — particularly changes in women’s representation in parliament — relate to shifts in public trust toward legislative institutions.
The main focus was simple but powerful: does increasing the proportion of women in parliament make citizens more trusting of their national parliament?
The Core Finding: Representation and Trust Move Together
The answer, according to the data, is yes.
The study finds a statistically significant relationship between increases in women’s parliamentary representation and higher levels of public trust in parliament. Importantly, this relationship holds even after accounting for a wide range of other factors that could influence trust.
These include:
- Levels of corruption
- Democratic quality
- Electoral systems
- Economic development
- Individual characteristics such as sex, age, education, and employment status
By controlling for these variables, the researchers were able to isolate the effect of women’s representation itself. The conclusion is clear: when the share of women in parliament rises over time, citizens — both men and women — become more trusting of their legislative institutions.
Why a Female Leader Alone Is Not Enough
One particularly interesting finding is what doesn’t seem to matter as much. The researchers found no comparable trust effect from simply having a female head of government, such as a prime minister or president.
This suggests that public trust is not driven by the presence of a single high-profile woman at the top. Instead, it is broad-based representation within parliament that makes the difference.
In other words, symbolic leadership alone is not enough. What matters is whether women are meaningfully present across the legislature, shaping debates, participating in lawmaking, and visibly reflecting the population as a whole.
Perceptions of Fairness, Inclusion, and Legitimacy
The study also explores why increased female representation might lead to higher trust. One explanation centers on how citizens perceive institutions that better reflect society.
In countries where women have historically been underrepresented, increases in their presence can make parliament appear:
- Fairer
- More inclusive
- More representative of the population
These perceptions matter because trust is closely tied to institutional legitimacy. When people feel that an institution represents “people like them,” they are more likely to view it as legitimate and worthy of confidence.
Honesty, Corruption, and Public Perception
Another key aspect of the research focuses on public perceptions of politicians’ integrity. Across many contexts, women politicians are often viewed as more honest and less corrupt than their male counterparts.
According to the researchers, this perception may help explain the steady and linear increase in trust observed as women’s representation rises. As the proportion of women in parliament grows, so does the share of lawmakers who are perceived as more trustworthy, gradually boosting overall confidence in the institution.
The data support this interpretation. Trust does not suddenly jump once a certain threshold is reached; instead, it increases continuously as women’s representation expands, reinforcing expectations of cleaner and more ethical governance.
Why Trust in Parliament Matters
Trust is not just a feel-good measure. The researchers emphasize that it plays a crucial role in how political systems function.
High levels of trust are linked to:
- Institutional legitimacy
- Greater policy compliance
- More cost-effective governance
- Improved political stability
From this perspective, increasing women’s representation delivers dual benefits. It advances democratic fairness by improving political inclusiveness, and it also produces tangible governance gains by strengthening public trust.
The United Kingdom in Context
The findings are particularly relevant for countries experiencing declining trust in politics, including the United Kingdom.
According to the most recent data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women currently make up about 36% of members across both chambers of the UK Parliament. While this represents progress compared to previous decades, it remains well below parity.
The UK also lags behind several countries that have reached or exceeded 50% women’s representation, including:
- Rwanda
- Cuba
- Nicaragua
- Bolivia
- Australia
- Mexico
- Andorra
- United Arab Emirates
Many of these countries achieved higher representation through legislated gender quotas or reserved seats.
At the same time, trust in British politics has been on a long-term decline. The UK’s most recent average trust score in parliament now falls below the global average, making the findings of this study particularly striking.
Policy Implications and Institutional Reform
One clear implication of the research is that increasing women’s representation could be a powerful yet underused tool for rebuilding trust in parliamentary institutions.
The study suggests that institutional reforms designed to improve descriptive representation — ensuring that parliaments better reflect the societies they serve — may indirectly foster trust by enhancing perceptions of fairness and legitimacy.
This reframes gender representation not just as a matter of equality or symbolism, but as a practical strategy for democratic renewal.
What This Research Adds to the Bigger Picture
This study contributes to a broader body of evidence linking gender-balanced political participation with stronger democratic outcomes. It also challenges the idea that representation is merely a normative goal, showing instead that it has measurable effects on how institutions are perceived and trusted.
By using long-term, cross-national data, the researchers provide one of the most robust analyses to date of how changes within countries over time shape public attitudes toward parliament.
Final Takeaway
The message from this research is straightforward: when parliaments include more women, people trust them more. Not because of individual leaders or symbolic gestures, but because broad representation signals fairness, inclusion, and ethical governance.
In an era when many democracies are struggling with declining trust, this study highlights a concrete and evidence-based pathway toward stronger, more legitimate political institutions.
Research reference:
Routledge Handbook of Gender and Corruption – University of St Andrews Business School
https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-Gender-and-Corruption/p/book/9781032938448
