Stefanie Schwarte

Stefanie Schwarte is a PhD candidate at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), specializing in gender and politics in Japan with a focus on local governance. Her research interests encompass the political representation of women, female political leadership, and the deliberation of gender equality policies. She also explores related themes such as the political representation of young people and the influence of demographic change on youth political engagement in Japan.

Her dissertation examines the persistent underrepresentation of women in political leadership in Japan, with a particular focus on female mayors. In her research, she investigates how these executive actors at the local level understand their political role, navigate gendered expectations, and exercise agency within male-dominated institutions by reconstructing their career trajectories, motivations to stand for office, and political self-perceptions. Drawing on theories of descriptive, substantive, and performative political representation, her work contributes to debates on women’s political leadership and representation beyond the parliamentary arena.

During her stay at the DIJ, Stefanie will conduct fieldwork in the Tokyo metropolitan area, interviewing current and former female mayors, as well as local political actors and members of women’s political networks.