To date, literature on elites has grossly overlooked the role of female elites and, so far, have not introduced the impact that contemporary feminist demands have on these privileged groups. This project will examine female elites in both the political and economic fields in order to explore the extent to which these relate to gender equality and social cohesion, and also compare this data with what the literature has assumed as common practices and preferences.
Some of our research questions are:
- How do women belonging to the political and economic elites view their roles and identities as women who are leaders in business and/or are in positions of political power?
- What are their social preferences, ideologies and practices, and do these differ between political and economic female elites?
- What are their perspectives on society in their respective countries?
The project will focus on two different countries, the UK and Chile. Though these countries are different in many respects, they have a great deal in common. Most remarkable is that they have been global pioneers of large-scale economic reform and undertaken comprehensive efforts towards modernisation.
This project is funded through AFSEE’s Network Innovation Fund and it aims to foster research and knowledge exchange collaboration between AFSEE and COES. In this context, the role of AFSEE Fellows will be central to the initiatives through which the project will unfold, particularly in relation to Fellows whose background is on policy-making.