Funding has been provided for research into women’s trajectories in local government.

The Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) is partnering with the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University to undertake the new research project.

Associate Professor Leah Ruppanner (University of Melbourne), Associate Professor Andrea Carson (La Trobe University) and Dr Gosia Mikolajczak (University of Melbourne), will investigate the chronic under representation of women in Australian politics through a local government lens.

The study is backed by an Australian Research Council (ARC) grant of $227,010.

The research, dubbed ‘Women in Local Government: Understanding Their Political Trajectories’, expects to generate new knowledge about barriers to female political representation, their political performance and pathways to higher tiers of elected office.

By following men and women councillors across an election cycle, the research will compare and measure women's experiences of local politics to develop a new framework to map and address obstacles preventing political equity.