Interventions to combat climate change often strive to promote gender balance so that men and women have an equal right to participate in, and benefit from, these programs. Yet, whether and how women's participation affects climate governance is still poorly understood. We examine the causal effect of women's representation in climate-related deliberations using the case of communally managed forests in rural Malawi. We run a lab-in-the-field experiment that randomly varies the gender composition of six-member groups asked to deliberate and then vote on solutions to combat deforestation. We find that women have relatively more influence in group decisions when they make up a larger share of the group. When women are in the majority, they are more likely to sway group decisions to meet their pre-treatment preferences. These findings suggest that including women in decision-making can shift deliberative processes and outcomes in support of historically marginalized resource users.
Amanda Clayton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. Her current research examines questions related to gender and climate governance, including a book project that examines the origins of gender differences in climate attitudes worldwide. Her work has appeared in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and International Organization among other outlets. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Swedish Research Council, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) research group. She has consulted for the World Bank (Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network, Africa Region), USAID (Women's Political Participation and Leadership Program), and the OECD (Public Governance Directorate).
