Gender representation and lobbying in the European Union

Gender equality in political representation is a cornerstone of contemporary democracies. Although much scholarly attention has been devoted to understanding gender inequality in government, less is known about gender representation within interest groups. We posit that gender representation in interest groups is influenced by the gender diversity of government officials. To test this hypothesis, we utilize a unique dataset that includes the gender composition of the entire population of government officials and interest group representatives in the European Union (EU). We examine it along with data from more than 4000 consultation meetings between lobbyists and EU officials. Using an instrumental variable design, we find that interest groups are more likely to engage female lobbyists when interacting with more gender-diverse policy-making bodies. Conceptually, this paper advances discussions on the link between political representation and gender mainstreaming. Empirically, it offers one of the first comprehensive analyses on the links between lobbyists access to government and gender.