Gender, Speech, and Representation in the Galician Parliament: An Analysis Based on the ParlaMint-ES-GA Dataset
Proceedings of the IV Workshop on Creating, Analysing, and Increasing Accessibility of Parliamentary Corpora (ParlaCLARIN) @ LREC-COLING 2024
Abstract
This paper employs the ParlaMint-ES-GA dataset to scrutinize the intersection of gender, speech, and representation within the Parliament of Galicia, an autonomous region located in North-western Spain. The research questions center around the dynamics of women’s participation in parliamentary proceedings. Contrary to numerical parity, we explore whether increased female presence in the parliament correlates with equitable access to the floor. Analyzing parliamentary proceedings from 2015 to 2022, our quantitative study investigates the relationship between the legislative body’s composition, the number of speeches by Members of Parliament (MPs), and references made by MPs in their speeches. The findings reveal nuances in gender representation and participation, challenging assumptions about proportional access to parliamentary discourse.