Most accounts of franchise extension hold that elites extend electoral rights when they believe expansions will consolidate their political power. Yet, how do elites come to believe this? And how do elites make inferences about the political preferences of the disenfranchised? This paper argues that elites utilize the cue of "disposition" - innate characteristics of an individual (or group) - to determine the consequences of enfranchisement. Using process-tracing and discourse analysis of primary documents, this paper shows that disposition was frequently and repeatedly used to either support or oppose women's enfranchisement in New Zealand.

The revived men’s movement, colloquially the “manosphere,” has recently increased in prominence and influence, and has been connected to numerous instances of violence, including mass shootings targeting women. Despite this, political science has paid scant attention to the manosphere, and the tactics these groups use against women, feminism, and gender equality, including violence. This theory-building paper provides a descriptive analysis of the manosphere and develops a typology to helps theorize about which manosphere subgroups are more prone to use violence.

Despite being considered the de facto world leader in gender equality, the European Union has a significant and serious problem – its astronomical rates of everyday violence against women (EVAW). This paper demonstrates that the implementation and promotion of some types of family policies, such as subsidized childcare, can exacerbate intimate partner violence as men react violently to women’s increased economic and social independence, while more generous parental leave schemes have the opposite effect. These findings highlight that while family policies are often designed to rectify gender disparities, they may also have unintended yet profoundly negative consequences.

Safe and secure housing is a pressing concern for survivors of domestic violence (DV). Domestic Violence Housing First (DVHF) is a policy that serves DV survivors’ needs by removing barriers to housing stability via flexible financial assistance, mobile advocacy, trauma-informed practice, and partnerships with community housing providers. This paper outlines a study protocol developed to evaluate the efficacy of the Wisconsin Domestic Violence Housing First Pilot Program (WI-DVHF).

This paper examines the challenges researchers face when trying to access vulnerable populations, specifically survivors of domestic abuse (DA) and intimate partner violence (IPV). It highlights the critical role of community partners – in this case, domestic abuse organizations – in facilitating or obstructing research efforts. Based on field experience working with DA organizations, this paper discusses the reasons for gatekeeping and explores potential solutions for overcoming these barriers. Ultimately, it is important to understand the motivations behind gatekeeping to foster more effective research partnerships.