What happens after identity groups gain representation in government?
In the article "What do Women Symbolize?" authors Susan Franceschet, Claire Annesley, and Karen Beckwith propose the concept of symbolic representation to understand cabinet recruitment. They argue that symbolic recruitment holds meaning for both the individual who selects the ministers ("symbol maker") and the constituent audiences upon which the symbol is enforced. As a symbol- gender, ethnicity, and other identity characteristics work in addition to a minister's expertise, education, and other professional skills. The authors acknowledge both representative and administrative duties of cabinet members and explain that inevitable tensions may occur between these two. The article classifies one particularly interesting element of stress as "power." They propose the question- "Are women more likely to qualify for a cabinet based on representative criteria while men qualify based on their political trajectories?". This is an interesting questi
