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Paper short abstract

Using nationwide observational data on Japan's local assemblies, this study documents how often women serve as assembly chairs and identifies assembly characteristics associated with their absence. It provides baseline evidence on gender inequality in subnational legislative leadership.

Paper long abstract

Women remain substantially underrepresented in political leadership, and this gap may be particularly pronounced in presiding posts such as chairs of local assemblies. Although a large body of research has accumulated on women's representation in legislatures, comparatively little attention has been paid to who occupies these presiding positions. In Japan's local assemblies, evidence is still scarce regarding whether women become chairs and in what settings women are absent from these posts. Japan consistently ranks low among advanced democracies in women's political representation. Prior research has documented women's underrepresentation as local assembly members, but the extent to which women hold leadership offices within those assemblies remains insufficiently understood. This paper describes the incidence of female chairs and identifies the characteristics of assemblies in which women are underrepresented in these positions. Using observational data on Japan's local assemblies, it undertakes an exploratory analysis that systematically examines the current status of female chairs and the features of the assemblies in which they serve. In doing so, the study seeks to clarify patterns of gender inequality in local legislative leadership and to illuminate potential determinants of these gaps. The project provides baseline evidence on gendered access to presiding authority in subnational representative institutions.