The more women in government, the less corruption: research

The more women are included in the government, the less corrupted the country is, the new research data released by the Economic Behavior & Organization magazine.

The survey was conducted in 155 regions of 17 European countries. Commenting on the results of the survey, Professor Soutipta Saranci, Professor of Department of Economics at the University of Technology, Virginia, who focuses on issues of women’s involvement in workforce and their presence in parliaments, noted that although women have little impact on government’s economic activities, they are, of course, less corrupted. This applies to both local and national level officials.

“This research emphasizes the importance of empowering women, the need for their presence in senior positions and government. This is especially important given the fact that in many countries, including the United States, women continue to remain in the unrecognized politics, “says the professor.

The authors of the study link the fact that women are not corrupted by the nature of their policies, noting that women tend to concentrate on decisions and laws relating to women, children and family issues. The authors of the study also did not find any evidence that women, being long in power, become corrupted.

The authors of this study do not claim that women are less likely to be corrupted than men. They observed women and men in government positions and decision-makers, and the difference between the decisions made was apparent to women. While gender inequality continues to be a problem throughout the world, researchers conclude that women’s participation in political processes should be encouraged not only for gender inequality, but also because they have a positive effect, which is adversely affecting corruption.

Such hopes are also topical for the new Armenia, where the government has prioritized the fight against corruption and at the same time expressed readiness to take more active steps to involve more women in the decision-making process.

Full text in Armenian