How Men React to Shifts in Gender Representation: Ignored Interests? Good for Society?

Women’s representation has significantly increased in recent decades. Women even dominate some decision-making bodies. How do these changes influence men’s attitudes toward democratic institutions? I analyze original survey data and a factorial survey experiment from the UK, and demonstrate that equal representation does not affect men’s expectations regarding policy output. However, if men are under-represented, most men across various sub-groups believe institutions are less likely to cater to their interests. Furthermore, men’s perceptions of fairness are higher under equal representation compared to the under-representation of either group. These findings underscore the importance of upholding gender equality in democratic institutions.