Electoral gender quotas systems and their implementation in Europe

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Executive summaryAlthough controversial, electoral gender quotas are in use in almost half of the countries in theworld today. Until recently, Europe has not been in the forefront of this new development.However, this report shows that five European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA)countries have introduced gender quotas by law – most recently Spain, Portugal and Slovenia – andthat in more than half of the EU/EEA countries some of the political parties have adoptedvoluntary party quotas for their electoral lists.This report maps the diffusion of gender quotas in Europe and lists the many different types ofquotas in use. The arguments for and against quotas are studied, and the implementation and effectof gender quotas are scrutinised. In-depth case studies have been conducted of eight countries, fourwith legislated gender quotas – Belgium, France, Slovenia and Spain – and four with voluntarygender quotas – Germany, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. A questionnaire, which hasbeen sent to all political parties in the EU/EEA countries, illuminates some attitudinal differencesconcerning gender quotas among the responding parties (the PARQUOTA Survey).The report shows that gender quotas have led to remarkably rapid increases in women’srepresentation in some cases but also to disappointment in other cases. The main conclusion isthat, in order to be effective, a quota system must be compatible with the electoral system in placeand that quota rules – for example, of 30 or 40 per cent women on electoral lists – must besupplemented with rules concerning rank order as well as – in the case of legislated quotas –effective legal sanctions.Quotas are only one among many measures for increasing women’s political representation. Ingeneral, the political parties are the gatekeepers to gender balance in political decision makingbecause they control ‘the secret garden of nominations’. The study ends with six recommendationsfor future action.1. With or without gender quotas, political parties should adopt action plans for recruiting anequal number of women and men as candidates for ‘winnable’ seats and, in general, for makingparty politics more inclusive.2. Tools for gender monitoring of nominations and elections should be developed.3. Multiple measures, such as capacity-building programmes, should be developed and applied.5. If gender quotas are applied, they must be compatible with the electoral system if they are tobe effective.5. Explicit rules about the implementation of gender quotas, such as rank-ordering rules, legalsanctions for non-compliance (legislated quotas) and a ‘contract’ with the local partyorganisations (voluntary party quotas) are needed.6. In the case of legislated quotas, institutional bodies should supervise the implementation.Money should be provided for further research on the implementation and effects of genderquotas.2
Page 3 and 4: Directorate-General Internal Polici
Page 5: Electoral Gender Quota Systems andT
Page 9 and 10: Table 16. The percentage of women i
Page 11 and 12: Section AMapping and cross-country/
Page 13 and 14: measures (see appendix I on the met
Page 15 and 16: Table 1. Women’s representation i
Page 17 and 18: quotas quotas quotas a quotasSloven
Page 19 and 20: Figure 2. Quotas in different stage
Page 21 and 22: In most plurality/majority systems
Page 23 and 24: • Quotas for women will be follow
Page 25 and 26: 2.2. Fast track vs incremental trac
Page 27 and 28: women into political office. Only a
Page 29 and 30: Quotas are agood and fairmethodQuot
Page 31 and 32: Figure 4. Women’s representation
Page 33 and 34: party’s rank-ordering of the cand
Page 35 and 36: Following this definition of party
Page 37 and 38: equires that lists in elections at
Page 39 and 40: 3. Internal partysanctions4. Implem
Page 41 and 42: of quotas, the prediction that wome
Page 43 and 44: List of referencesAntíc Gaber, Mil
Page 45 and 46: Section BCase studies41
Page 47 and 48: 2. Legislated quota provisionsFrom
Page 49 and 50: candidatelistcandidatelistEuropean
Page 51 and 52: also senior candidates), ethnicity
Page 53 and 54: 6. Other quotasBelgian citizenship
Page 55 and 56: Case studyFrance: ‘parité’ und
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3. The legislated texts3.1. The ini
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5.9 10.9 16.9departments)department
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This can be checked by examining th
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parties which do not abide by the p
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Other debate participants referred
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It may be worth mentioning that mos
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CDU/CSU 23.0 19.5FDP 25.5 24.6* In
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Table 15. The percentage of women i
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the FDP and the CSU - the proportio
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For the last elections in the state
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Table 18. Female members of the Pol
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6. Examples of other countries (in
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Thus, with the exception of the PSL
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Parliament, government, local gover
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Fuszara, Małgorzata, ‘Between Fe
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Among the supporters of greater rep
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LDS 1998200033%25%NoNoNeutralNeutra
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4.1. Implementation of quotas at th
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Table 27. Number and percentage of
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led to an open public debate about
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Partido Socialista Obrero Español)
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there were unconstitutional aspects
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legislative assembly elections, mus
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ReferencesBustelo, Carlota, La alte
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Parliament had just passed 10 per c
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4. The implementation of quota prov
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Table 35 also shows the extent to w
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Table 37. Women on party executive
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Dahlerup, Drude and Freidenvall, Le
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that any new policy had to target t
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and the Scottish Conservatives, in
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Table 41. Women’s representation
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Russell, Meg, Women’s Representat
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Appendix IIAbout the authorsChristi
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Appendix IIIAcronyms and abbreviati
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Electoral gender quotas systems and their implementation in Europe

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