Legislative Quotas for Women: A global and ... - Aurat Foundation

For some experts, types of electoral system also matter. There areelectoral systems which are more likely to produce better results. Forexample, international experience tells us that ‘first past the post’electoral systems are less likely to get women elected than proportionalsystems.Last but not the least, women’s rights movement matters: the presenceand influence of women’s rights movement and groups contributetowards an enabling and supportive environment for political partywomen.Women’s political participation is one of the key areas of AuratFoundation’s work for decades. We believe that women’s representationin legislative and other decision-making forums certainly make adifference, both in quantitative and qualitative terms, in advancingwomen’s human rights and enhancing women’s status in society.We are publishing this booklet with the earnest hope that this wouldfacilitate in developing better understanding of the rationale behindaffirmative action measures for quotas for women in legislatures;different types of quotas and some best practices vis-à-vis these quotas invarious countries, including Pakistan.The information and analysis in this booklet is the result of collectiveeffort by Legislative Watch Programme staff and a few friends of AuratFoundation outside the organization. We are also grateful to theNorwegian government for their development assistance to thisprogramme and publication of this booklet.Naeem Ahmed MirzaChief Operating OfficerAurat FoundationJune 20126