Gender Equality in the Labor Force : How is the proportion of seats held by women in the national parliament related to the female education level?

Abstract: This study aims to examine the relationship between the ratio of seats held by women in parliament and the years of female education. The study is a cross-national study across 91 countries that uses the average value of data from 2014 to 2018. The findings show no significant relationship between the two variables, and based on the theoretical background, different areas are explored to clarify what caused this result. It is believed that patriarchy, cultural attitudes towards women, income level of individuals, and differing majors in higher education between men and women are why we see this correlation. The study also tests if labor force participation of women and female parliament seats are correlated, and it is found that there is a positive relationship between the two. The interest in this topic comes from looking closer at if women have the same opportunities in politics and generally in the labor force. It is essential since diversity in organizations and the labor market can have significant economic benefits. The results from previous studies into female seats in parliament and education have varied, so this study adds national income to see if that affects the variables.