Replication Data for: The Gap Within: The Impact of Separate-Gender Polling Stations on Voter Turnout

To address the large and persistent gender gaps in political participation, governments across the world have adopted policies, such as the creation of segregated voting facilities, that are expected to encourage turnout. Despite their widespread adoption, we know nothing about the impact of such policies on voter turnout. This research note studies the impact of gender-segregated polling stations on women’s electoral turnout in Pakistan’s general election of 2018. We use a combination of large-scale administrative data, information from electoral policy documents, and qualitative interviews. By comparing female turnout at female-only polling stations to female turnout at mixed polling stations within a limited geographic area, we show that separate-gender polling stations decrease women’s voter turnout. Our findings present the first-ever empirical evidence on this question and add to the growing body of research that highlights the limitations of using gender-segregated tools to promote gender equality in developing countries.

为解决政治参与领域长期存在的巨大性别差距，全球各国政府已出台多项政策，例如设立性别隔离投票设施（gender-segregated voting facilities），以期提升选民投票率。尽管此类政策已得到广泛应用，但目前学界对其对选民投票率的影响仍一无所知。本研究短论聚焦2018年巴基斯坦大选，探讨性别隔离投票站（gender-segregated polling stations）对女性选举投票率的影响。本研究整合运用大规模行政数据、选举政策文件信息与质性访谈资料，通过在有限地理范围内对比女性专属投票站与混合性别投票站的女性投票率，发现性别隔离投票站会降低女性选民的投票率。本研究的发现为该问题提供了首份实证证据，并为日益壮大的相关研究领域补充了新的结论——该领域着重揭示了在发展中国家使用性别隔离工具推动性别平等的局限性。