Gender in Elections: The Consequences of Killing Women Activists on Election Outcomes

Abstract

Do women engage more in politics when women get killed? Two growing literatures hold opposing views on this question. To that end, this article adds important nuance to this discussion by exploring how the identity of victims of violence influences the full electoral circle in Colombian municipal elections. We argue that violence against women activists is used strategically by armed groups to influence electoral outcomes and reinforce gendered norms of order. Building on research on gendered patterns of violence, we show that violence against women activists reduces women’s willingness to run for public office, increases voter turnout and promotes voters’ demands for male political leadership. Drawing on novel fine-grained data on sex of killed activists, we find strong support for our hypotheses and show in additional analyses a reversed effect during the peace negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) with more women candidates and votes for women. Our findings demonstrate that taking into account victim identities provides powerful new insights into the gendered consequences of violence for elections.