GENDER SENSITIVE DEMOCRACY AND THE QUALITY OF GOVERNMENT The role of gender equality in lowering corruption

Abstract: The aim of this study is to build on literature on the relationship between gender equality, democracy and corruption, in order to see if gender equality is a key factor for impartiality, which in turn has impacts on the quality of government and the levels of corruption. Towards this end, several Varieties of Democracy Indices were tested in order to determine which is the best predictor for lower levels of corruption. The hypothesis was that the variety of democracy that is most sensitive to gender equality serves as the best predictor for lower levels of corruption. Empirical data have been used to test this hypothesis, and the conclusion drawn is that societal gender equality creates a culture of impartiality under which the quality of government on the input side as well as the output side of government is achieved.