Catherine Reyes-Housholder, PhD

Associate Professor, Instituto de Ciencia Política
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
​[email protected]

Chile's first woman president, Michelle Bachelet, leads her final 2013 presidential campaign event.

Brazil's first woman president, Dilma Rousseff, inaugurates a Casa da Mulher Brasileira in Brasília in June 2015.

Welcome to my web site! I am an Associate Professor at the Instituto de Ciencia Política of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. I also am an Associate Researcher at the multi-disciplinary Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES). I earned my PhD in Government from Cornell University in 2017.

My first book, How Women Win Presidential Elections in Latin America, ​is forthcoming at Temple University Press.  You can read a summary and an excerpt in the "Book" section of this web site.
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​I research the presidency and gender with a geographical focus on Latin America. One line of my scholarship examines the "causes" of women presidents: How do women win the presidency? When and why do parties sometimes nominate women instead of men for president? What traits do citizens stereotypically associate with women and men presidential candidates, and which of these traits do they value in presidents? 

Another line of my published scholarship focuses on the "consequences" of women presidents. When and why do women presidents name more woman ministers than men presidents? Why do women presidents have lower approval ratings than men presidents? How do citizens respond to women in executive office?

Chile's national science agency, Fondecyt, has financed my research from 2019-2029. A Fondecyt Regular Grant #1250145 "Gender and Presidential Elections" is currently funding my research from 2025-2029. Fondecyt de Iniciación Grant #11220371 "How Women Win the Presidency" (2022-25) and Fondecyt Grant #3190196 "The Rise of Female Presidential Candidates" (2019-22) previously supported my research,

My research has been published in Comparative Politics (twice), ​Politics & Gender, Electoral Studies, ​Political Research Quarterly, Latin American Politics and Society, PS: Political Science & Politics, Politics, Groups and Identities, the ​Journal of Politics in Latin America, Revista de Ciencia Política as well as in six edited volumes. (You can read these articles and chapters in the "Research" section of this web site.) My dissertation "Presidentas, Power and Pro-Women Change" won the 2017 Best Dissertation Award: APSA Women and Politics section.