Representative Bureaucracy in Romania? Gender and Leadership in Central Public Administration

This exploratory research is focused on two gender phenomena which can manifest in the public sphere (the glass ceiling and horizontal segregation), trying to connect these phenomena with the concept of representative bureaucracy in Romanian central public administration institutions. Using 2003-2015 data covering central public administration institutions (ministries and other government offices/departments) the analysis shows that the overall situation of women in these decision-making positions has improved considerably in 2011, ensuring the desideratum of gender equity (and possible fertile ground for a representative bureaucracy). However, the sudden shift observed in the data between 2010 and 2011 might be an unintended result of austerity pay cuts as men in decision-making positions migrated to the private sector due to financial reasons. Breaking down the data (according to the BEIS typology) provides (partial) evidence for the existence of sectorial segregation, as at the higher administrative ranks (level 1) there are more men than women in institutions with Basic functions (Government’s Office, European Funds, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Justice, National Defense), while the reverse is true for Socio-cultural institutions (Culture, Education and Scientific Research, Employment, Family, Social Protection and Elderly, Health, Youth and Sport)