Women Leadership at the Apex. The Distinctiveness of Urban Women Mayors in Europe

Women occupy leadership positions at all levels of government. While the topic has been extensively investigated and referred to national legislatures, other venues remain under-researched. By focusing on the mayoral office, this article aims at contributing to fill the research gap regarding the local government arena and specifically executive positions. Drawing on a survey of around 2,600 European mayors, the study investigates whether women and male mayors differ in their social backgrounds, recruitment patterns and policy priorities. The resulting identikit of the ‘Urban European Woman Mayor’ points to important differences in the career path confirming the differences in policy priorities.