Ants or Cicadas: Can Money Buy a Women’s Election
Women in France continue to face major financial barriers when running for office, yet the role of campaign financing in local elections remains largely unexamined. This visualization project analyzes two municipal election cycles, 2014 and 2020, to understand how money shapes the electoral success of women in cities above 9,000 inhabitants. Using official datasets from the Ministry of Interior and the Campaign Accounts and Finance Commission, the project explores gendered differences in spending, funding sources, party support, geographic disparities, and changes over time. By exposing financial patterns that advantage or disadvantage women candidates, the framing aims to inform policymakers and election authorities and to support strategies that strengthen gender parity ahead of the 2026 municipal elections.