New Study by DPIR alumna Katie Tyner Finds Successive Women Leaders Can Redefine What Political Power Looks Like

Alumna Katie Tyner (MSc Politics Research, 2019) has had an article published in Comparative Political Studies in which she examines how expectations of “masculine” behaviour shape public perceptions of women in top political roles—and whether those expectations can shift over time. 

Katie – now Associate Vice President at The Cohen Group - created a new tool, the Ferrous Scale, designed to measure leadership styles traditionally viewed as masculine. 

Applying it to New Zealand’s three female prime ministers, she found that each successive leader scored lower on the Ferrous Scale, suggesting a steady weakening of the link between political authority and stereotypically masculine traits. Building a theory called the Succession Effect, Katie puts forward that a succession of female prime ministers—rather than societal gender progressiveness or partisan affiliation—was the prerequisite in New Zealand to loosen the association between executive office and masculinity.

Her study has also now been included in a syllabus for a senior-level seminar at Wesleyan University.

She said: 

“Research on how and why the political glass ceiling breaks is not enough anymore. We need to stay at the research table after the glass pieces have been swept off the floor and understand what a succession (or lack thereof) of women in leadership roles really means for governance in the 21st century.”

At The Cohen Group, Katie leads client accounts in the technology and national security sectors and co-leads the firm’s Defense Practice. She advises clients seeking to develop government engagement strategies, pursue long-term business development and capture, mitigate geopolitical risk, and manage market entry and exit. She remains passionate about pursuing academic research and writing and enjoys staying on the publication and conference circuits.