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Diana O'Brien

@dzobrien.bsky.social
684 followers 596 following 66 posts

Professor at @washu.edu‬ researching gender and politics and women’s political representation. More info at: www.dianaobrien.com

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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
📢 Free book alert! What happens to the gender gap in political ambition in local government—the “best case” for women? Men STILL report more ambition. Using 3 datasets, this book unpacks why & shows that 🚺 are also much more likely to have “local-only” ambition. Free download + author 🧵 below!
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The WhoGov Project @whogov.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
We are so grateful to everyone who participated in the 2026 WhoGov Mini-Conference on Political Elites and made it such an enjoyable and enriching experience. The tentative dates for the next edition are 19–20 August 2027, and the call will come out in early 2027. We already can't wait!
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The WhoGov Project @whogov.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
We especially want to thank @dzobrien.bsky.social and @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social for their splendid and incredibly entertaining keynote. Moreover, congratulations to @alucardi1.bsky.social bsky.social with winning the 2026 edition of the quiz: the prize was a beautiful pair of WhoGov branded socks!
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
20 years ago today, I started the PhD program at @washupolisci.bsky.social .😮😎 Perfect way to celebrate: with the 10(!) amazing PhD students in my Identity, Power & Politics workshop—asking big questions about who gets political power, why, and with what consequences. Full circle. ❤️
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Back from the 3rd annual @whogov.bsky.social conference at @uio.no ! A terrific few days with scholars of political elites and Oslo’s excellent grad students. Very grateful to give the keynote--Who Governs and Why it Matters: Lessons from Cabinet Appointments--alongside @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social.
Photo of two presenters at keynote address.
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
This @bjpols.bsky.social paper on women's support for left-wing parties by @gdilandro.bsky.social just won the 2026 GESIS Klingemann Prize! Congratulations Gonzalo! So proud of you! 🎉
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Terrific new work from my PhD student Alexis Jang, now out in @jpeaceresearch.bsky.social! Using social media analysis + survey experiments, Alexis examines how portrayals of women’s wartime victimization shape perceptions of their leadership potential. Check it out: doi.org/10.1093/jopr...
doi.org
How portraying women's wartime victimization shapes perceptions of their leadership potential
Abstract. Does portraying women as wartime victims shape citizens’ perceptions of their leadership potential? Conflict-related media coverage disproportion
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Congratulations to my brilliant colleague @luciamotoliniac.bsky.social on receiving the Legislative Studies Emerging Scholar Award! A well-deserved recognition for a terrific scholar. If you haven't yet checked out her book, Unity Through Particularism (CUP, 2026), now's the perfect time. 🎉
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Matthijs Rooduijn @mrooduijn.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Today we launch the new version of The PopuList! The PopuList provides an overview of far-left, far-right and populist parties in 31 European countries from 1989 until 1 May 2026. Explore the new website here: popu-list.org
popu-list.org
Home - The PopuList
The PopuList Interactive Version 4.0 Static Version 4.0 CSV Version 4.0 What is the PopuList? The PopuList offers researchers, journalists, […]
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EPSS @epssnet.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣ A particularly warm welcome to all those participants that are attending #EPSS for the very first time. We are so happy you are here! A huge thanks to Queens University for sponsoring the first-time attendee reception tonight! 🙏
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Guy Grossman @guygrossman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Out today at the Annual Review of Political Science, my article with @alicexu.bsky.social and Audrey Sacks "The Politics of Climate Change in the Developing World." www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is just the abstract of the paper.
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South European Society & Politics @sespjournal.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Heading to #ECPG26? 🎓 Our editor, @bonniefield.bsky.social, will be available to meet If you want to... 👩‍💻 Learn more about the journal 📖 Ask questions about submissions 💡 Discuss your paper and special issue ideas 👉 e-mail us at sespeditors@gmail.com to arrange a meeting...
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Jacob Montgomery @jacobmontgomery.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Among other things, this rule seems like it would devastate US higher education. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
New rule requires most green-card applicants to apply from outside U.S.
Immigration lawyers say the change could impact a wide swath of people and marks an escalation in the administration’s efforts to curtail legal migration.
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Trump 2 has been considerably more stable than Trump’s first admin, but 🚺 account for 4 of 5 cabinet departures, sending strong signals about whose voice belongs in decision-making. This cabinet is about to be as male as George H.W. Bush's! More on 🚺 & executive branch politics: tinyurl.com/yrvc5je7
annualreviews.org
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
It’s the very best time of year: commencement! So delighted to hood Dr. Annie Jarman, 14 years after my own commencement at @washu.edu I’m especially excited to help keep our WashU gender and politics community going strong. Congratulations again to Annie and to all of our amazing PhD graduates!
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Happy to learn that Farida Jalalzai received the Midwest Women’s Caucus Outstanding Professional Achievement Award at this year's @mpsa.bsky.social conference! Farida is a pathbreaking scholar of 🚺 presidents and prime ministers and a generous leader and colleague. This honor is richly deserved!
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Still thinking about the Spring 2026 @egenpolisci.bsky.social conference @ Stanford. Terrific papers, lightning talks and thoughtful conversations about how research can inform real-world change. Huge thanks to Solé Prillaman for organizing such a rich event. kingcenter.stanford.edu/events/confe...
kingcenter.stanford.edu
Expanding Women’s Access to Politics Through Academic and Policy Partnerships
The 2026 Empirical Gender Network (EGEN) Conference at Stanford’s King Center on Global Development will bring together students and faculty with leaders and policymakers from around the world who are...
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Proud of Dr. Annie Jarman for defending her thesis, Breaking the Glass Screen: Gendered Hostility Online and Women’s Political Representation. She examines the gendered online hostility 🚺 politicians face and how it shapes nascent + progressive ambition. Learn more: anniejarman.github.io/index.html
anniejarman.github.io
Annie Jarman
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Tiffany Barnes @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Our @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org author shared insights from her book: “The truth is, they’d always been standing in political quicksand. As @zeynsom.bsky.social describes in her book “Glass Ceilings, Glass Cliffs, and Quicksands,” female leaders often operate in more precarious environments.”
huffpost.com
MAGA Women Are Learning The Hard Way What The 'Glass Cliff' Phenomenon Is
Experts break down what women in Trump's orbit should learn from his latest dismissals.
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Tiffany Barnes @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Big deliveries today @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org Elements by @ladyprofessor.bsky.social and @fthames.bsky.social; @yesolakweon.bsky.social & @jeonghyunkim.bsky.social; and @lizziebrannon.bsky.social & Jakana Thomas arrived in my mailbox!! 💌📥📚 @dzobrien.bsky.social & I love these deliveries 📬
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Super useful FREE new @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org Gender & Politics Element by @cbolzendahl.bsky.social & @hildecoffe.bsky.social shows how gender shapes political participation across Europe, w/ 8 forms of political activity over 10 waves of the European Social Survey (2002–2020) in 26 countries!
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
New @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org Gender & Politics Element on LGBTQ politics by Daby and Rau. Focusing on Latin America, authors use survey data and interviews to identify multiple processes by which individuals move from prejudice and rejection to tolerance and acceptance towards LGBTQ+ citizens! 🏳️‍🌈
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
New @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org Gender & Politics Element by @lizziebrannon.bsky.social & Jakana Thomas, “Legislating Peace,” shows that 🚺's representation, especially former rebels in rebel parties, improves compliance with post-conflict gender provisions. www.cambridge.org/core/element...
cambridge.org
Legislating Peace
Cambridge Core - Politics: General Interest - Legislating Peace
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Up next: "Double Glass Ceiling The Class Effects of Gender Representation" by @yesolakweon.bsky.social & @jeonghyunkim.bsky.social. They argue that the link between 🚺's descriptive and symbolic representation differs across economic class, w/ implications for 🚺's political attitudes & behavior.
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Free 📚🚨! I've got 2 great, short monographs for you to download today! Up first, "Conflict and Maternal Health Linking the Gendered Causes and Gendered Consequences of War" by @fthames.bsky.social + @ladyprofessor.bsky.social. 1/
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
The same people who claim they want to "defend women." Gender studies departments have incredibly committed instructors. They get students to read, write, and think, exposing them to interdisciplinary coursework that helps them make sense of the world. They do this with limited resources & support.
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was "The Politics of Perception," sent to me by the brilliant author, @kstauffer.bsky.social. It's a must-read book about how & why Americans' (mis)perceptions of 🚺's political representation influence their efficacy, trust, approval of institutions.
The politics of perception: how beliefs about women’s inclusion shape democratic legitimacy in the US, by Katelyn Stauffer
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British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
All articles from our 2025 volume can be accessed here - cup.org/49tQEFp #OpenAccess
Logo of the British Journal of Political Science with the hashtag 'OpenAccess' at the bottom, all text in white on a green background.
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Public Opinion Quarterly - POQ @poqjournal.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Does news about a more diverse Congress change how Americans see democracy? In POQ, Olson et al. find that diversity boosts Democrats’ trust in Congress, has no effect on Republicans, and does not weaken support for democratic norms. Read now: doi.org/10.1093/poq/...
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
🚨Free book alert (for 2 weeks)! In her new CUP Element, @caglayanbaser.bsky.social shows that rebel groups with♀️combatants are seen as more gender-equal, democratic and morally legitimate, even when they perpetrate violence. This increases public support for government sponsorship of rebel groups!
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Meredith Conroy @meredithconroy.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Now on my substack, Gender Gap: 5 notable gaps discussed in 2025. 1. leaving the U.S. 2. marriage aspirations 3. social media use 4. loneliness 5. college plans I picked these bc they signal how men/women structure their social lives and are imagining their futures. substack.com/home/post/p-...
Line chart showing the share of men/women ages 18-40 who want to leave the US permanently from 2008 to 2025. In 2025, 40% of women, and 19% of men, in this age cohort say they want to leave.Line chart from 1993 to 2023 showing the share of 12th grader boys and girls who want to get married. In 2023, there is a 23 point gap, with girls less likely to want to get married. Bar chart showing share of men/women who interact with their friends on social media, and how often. 30% of men say "never" compared to 18% of women.Horizontal bar chart showing share of teen girls and teen boys who plan to go to college. 60% of girls but 46% of boys say they plan to go to college.
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Excited that "Race, Gender, and Nascent Political Ambition" is now out in @bjpols.bsky.social. W/ survey of white, Hispanic, and Black American respondents, we show primary gap in nascent political ambition is not between men and women but between white men and the majority of the polity.
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
I once had the privilege of teaching a women & politics courses at Texas A&M. I inherited the class from a colleague, but I made it fully my own (no one double-checked my syllabi). And the course addressed gender, sexuality, and intersectionality—b/c, obvi. I have never enjoyed teaching more! 1/
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Feeling grateful to @jennpiscopo.bsky.social for including our co-authored @apsrjournal.bsky.social article on gender quotas in this piece for @policyoptions.irpp.org. Despite pundits' fears, we find that 🚹's overrepresentation is much more corrosive to democratic legitimacy than gender quotas.
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
I’m really proud of (and grateful to) my colleagues for writing this op-ed. As a @washu.edu alumna and faculty member, I forcefully echo their statement. Faculty excellence and student success should be our lodestar. Signing the compact moves us further from those aims.
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British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
#OpenAccess from August 2025 - Voter Sexism and Electoral Penalties for Women Candidates: Evidence from Four Democracies - cup.org/4m4smXP "research suggests sexism is prevalent and consequential for voter behaviour" - @rosieshorrocks.bsky.social, Elizabeth Ralph-Morrow & Roosmarijn de Geus
BJPolS abstract discussing observational research on gender bias in political contexts, focusing on voter behavior and representation in Australia, Britain, and the USA.
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Are you attending #APSA2025 and (thinking of) writing a book on the topic of gender and politics?! Come meet the editors of the @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org Cambridge Studies in Gender & Politics! Friday at 2:30pm at the Sutton Place Hotel (Salon Cezanne). We want to talk w/ you!
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Joe Ura @joeura.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Here's the catalog description the now-fired Texas A&M lecturer allegedly transgressed by giving a lecture about gender in children's literature. ENGL 360 Literature for Children Credits 3. 3 Lecture hours. Representative writers, genres, texts and movements. president.tamu.edu/messages/an-...
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
So proud of @gdilandro.bsky.social for successfully defending his thesis "Political Parties and the Gender Voting Gap in Western Democracies: A Supply and Demand Framework." He's already published one dissertation paper in @bjpols.bsky.social & there's more great gender & politics work to come! 🍾
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
📘 New from Cambridge & free to download for the next two weeks! "Attitudes toward Political Authoritarianism in Economically Advanced Democracies: The Role of Gender Values and Norms" by Amy C. Alexander & @gefjonoff.bsky.social! Check out the 🧵 below for a great summary!
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Iakovos Makropoulos @makropoulos.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Today was the last day of the EITM Summer School in Mannheim. I am so more knowledgeable, wise and much grateful to Prof. Thomas König for this opportunity, and to Prof. Thomas Bräuninger, Prof. Richard Traunmüller, Prof. @dzobrien.bsky.social & Prof. @fortunato.bsky.social for teaching all of us 🙏🏼
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
🚨 New Cambridge Element! Glass Ceilings, Glass Cliffs, and Quicksands by Andrea S. Aldrich & @zeynsom.bsky.social uses original data from 11 democracies (1980–2020) to examine how gender shapes party leadership selection & survival. Free for 2 more days: cup.org/3HqJXty #gender #politics
cup.org
Glass Ceilings, Glass Cliffs, and Quicksands
Cambridge Core - Politics: General Interest - Glass Ceilings, Glass Cliffs, and Quicksands
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Diana O'Brien @dzobrien.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Congratulations to Dr. @ietchacq.bsky.social! She's such a tenacious, ambitious, and brilliant young scholar, and I'm lucky to have been able to play some small part in her Ph.D. journey! Keep a look out for her great CP work on the representation of marginalized groups!
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Nuffield College Library @nuffieldlibrary.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
Including: Gendered jobs and local leaders by @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social Fellow @rivb.bsky.social‬ ‪and @mirya.bsky.social‬ Also available as an ebook: solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44...
An abstract orange/purple book cover
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Tiffany Barnes @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Want to hear more from fantastic EGEN scholars? Follow this starter pack! go.bsky.app/SeabEZc
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Tiffany Barnes @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
📣 Still open access. 📣Get it while you can 📚👇 doi.org/10.1017/9781...
doi.org
Gendered Jobs and Local Leaders
Cambridge Core - Politics: General Interest - Gendered Jobs and Local Leaders
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Jennifer Piscopo @jennpiscopo.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
I am honored & humbled working w/ Amanda Clayton & @dzobrien.bsky.social. Our latest @apsrjournal.bsky.social shows that gender quotas do *not* erode legitimacy: across democracies, voters prefer legislatures w/ gender balance to those w/ male dominance, full stop. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Electoral Gender Quotas and Democratic Legitimacy | American Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
Electoral Gender Quotas and Democratic Legitimacy
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Politics & Gender @politicsgenderj.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
📢New issue of #PAG21 is out!📢 @erincassese.bsky.social & @amandafriesen.bsky.social outline the major contributions to the literature on women voters published by P&G over the last 20 years and suggest future research agendas. gendersky polisky buff.ly/4hDqyIU
Research article "A Look Back At 20 Years of Research on Gender and Voting in Politics & Gender" by Erin C. Cassese & Amanda Friesen. 
Abstract reads: This essay highlights the impact of Politics & Gender on the discipline’s understanding of how gender shapes the preferences, behavior, and motivations of voters. It provides descriptive information about the prevalence of research on gender and voting in the journal, along with the proportion of articles dedicated to women voters across different regions globally. The bulk of the essay focuses on the substance of this research — drawing out major themes and identifying significant contributions within each theme — and it concludes by offering a future research agenda on gender and voting.
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Politics & Gender @politicsgenderj.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
📢New issue of #PAG21 is out!📢 Our twentieth anniversary issue is now out! Our editor @mlkrook.bsky.social‬ introduces the issue reflecting on founding of the journal and previewing all of the wonderful research featured in this special edition of P&G. polisci gendersky buff.ly/jHgKiwp
From the Editor article from Mona Lena Krook.
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