Women in the Office: MP Staff in Canada

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dc.contributor.advisorThomas, Melanee
dc.contributor.authorCloutier, Meagan Nicole
dc.contributor.committeememberFranceschet, Susan
dc.contributor.committeememberYoung, Lisa
dc.date2019-11
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-26T21:12:11Z
dc.date.available2019-08-26T21:12:11Z
dc.date.issued2019-08-23
dc.description.abstractIn Canadian political science, Member of Parliaments’ (MP) staff are rarely studied. When mentioned, research only examines staff in relation to MPs’ interaction with their constituency office. As an understudied, poorly understood group, this thesis investigates who works for an MP and why they do so. I argue MP staff are important to study due to their direct interaction with constituents dealing with federal government issues. Using two unique datasets, – the Government Electronic Directory Services dataset and data collected in November and December 2018 from a survey of MPs’ employees across Canada - this study addresses four main research questions: who works for an MP and why; who uses their staff position to advance their political ambition; what are the main benefits and drawbacks for working for an MP; and how are these processes gendered? Results show that across Canada, regardless of political party, the gender of the MP and region, more women are employed by MPs than men. Helping constituents and their communities are rewarding aspects of working for an MP, though women report different, more rational motivations for their work than do men. Staff report poor office management, long hours, and low compensation as consistent drawbacks. Approximately one in four staff experience harassment within their jobs, the majority being women. As a starting point, this thesis aims to ignite future research about staff’s role in representation in Canada, our understanding of how gender influences this process, and staff’s overall involvement in Canadian politics.en_US
dc.identifier.citationCloutier, M. N. (2019). Women in the Office: MP Staff in Canada (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/36903
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/110821
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArtsen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectConstituency Officesen_US
dc.subjectPolitical Staffen_US
dc.subjectWomen in Politicsen_US
dc.subjectGenderen_US
dc.subjectCanadian Politicsen_US
dc.subjectHarassmenten_US
dc.subjectFront-line Politicsen_US
dc.subjectHarassment in Politicsen_US
dc.subjectMember of Parliaments' Staffen_US
dc.subjectMember of Parliamenten_US
dc.subject.classificationPolitical Scienceen_US
dc.titleWomen in the Office: MP Staff in Canadaen_US
dc.typemaster thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplinePolitical Scienceen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (MA)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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