Cultural capital and gender. Elites in Norway and France

How do power, gender and cultural capital influence how leaders are perceived? This is the main question in a research project comparing leaders in politics and state bureaucracy in Norway and France. Point of departure is how national cultural repertoires influence the evaluations of successful and less successful leaders in the two sectors. In addition to the national and organizational dimensions, the study addresses whether success has a gender dimension. Hypotheses regarding differences and similarities between the two countries/sectors/genders are based on egalitarian and hierarchical orientations, the balance between work and family, percentage of female and male leaders, sexual attractiveness, knowledge requirements and internal/external representation. The study is based on case studies, interviews and text analyses. Associated project partners are Michelle Lamont, Jean-Pascal Daloz, Abigail Sague, Fredrik Engelstad and Bente Abrahamsen.