Transitions research seminar | So close but still too far away from power?

Since its constitution in 1979 the composition of the European Parliament (EP) has changed considerably. One notable evolution is the progressive but steady increase in the number of female MEPs: between 1979 and 2019 this number has risen from 15.2% to 39.5%. Therefore the EP is defined in the literature as one of the most feminized Parliaments in Europe. But it is questionable whether the number alone is decisive for the promotion of women in politics. Indeed whereas the literature refers a lot to the number of women in Parliament we find a gap when it comes to career chances of women in parliaments. My results show that more men than women hold and held top positions in the EP especially when it comes to the very powerful ones. In this paper I try to explain the hidden mechanisms that decide which (female) MEPs get into top positions and which do not. Studying female MEPs in top positions in the European Parliament between 1994 and 2021 I raise the question to which extent women are granted access to power in the EP. Leading questions are: Who are the women in top positions?  And is there a certain type of politician who gets into powerful positions? For this a unique dataset has been created which covers all MEPs in top positions in the EP. Top positions studied are committee chairs rapporteurs the chairs of the parliamentary groups and group committee coordinators. The paper analyses this gap between women and men and gives explanations. Further it considers theoretical thoughts about power and institutional authority and will put in question certain concepts of parliamentary power.