Defense against Ableism: Does Gender Representation Facilitate Rulemaking for People with Disabilities?

This study examines how gender representation in legislative and bureaucratic institutions shapes disability-related lawmaking and the socioeconomic outcomes of people with disabilities (PWDs). Using national-level data on disability-related legislation in Korea over 44 years (1978-2022), the analysis assesses the effects of women’s political and bureaucratic representation, focusing on their interaction with one another and with legislative initiatives. The findings reveal conditional and interactive effects of women’s representation across political and administrative institutions, highlighting the potential for cross-group representation beyond shared demographic identity. A direct positive link between women’s representation and disability-related legislative activity is not consistently observed, suggesting that women’s allyship is context-dependent and shaped by strategic considerations, including anticipated electoral backlash and socioeconomic penalties. However, the interaction between political and bureaucratic representation increases disability-related legislative activity when women are underrepresented in bureaucracies. In addition, the interaction between women’s political representation and disability legislation is associated with improved employment outcomes for PWDs in the public sector, while comparable effects are weaker or absent in the private sector.