Women legislators’ strategies to “hack” the gender gap in decision-making: The case of the parliamentary secretary of the Argentine Congress

Despite the growth in the number of women in the world’s parliaments, recent research shows that their presence in spaces of intra-institutional power remains limited. Nevertheless, the Argentine Chamber of Deputies offers a compelling case study that illuminates the strategies employed by women legislators to secure positions of power and influence, often hacking formal institutions: the parliamentary secretary. This research aims to contribute to the literature on women and hierarchies in legislatures. Utilizing in-depth interviews, observation, and documentary analysis, I argue that women legislators strategically take advantage of a space with typically feminized characteristics regarding organizational tasks, meticulousness, attention to detail, and even care to gain access to the decision-making table of their caucus. Specifically, this work identifies two pathways of power: one centered on caucus organization and the implementation of political decisions, and another focused on negotiation and advocacy for legislative initiatives. This finding has implications for women’s substantive representation.