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Quotas
Quotas, a formal mechanism that enhances women’s participation and representation, are being increasingly implemented. Gender quotas ensure that women constitute a specific number or percentage of the members of a body, be it a candidate list, a parliamentary assembly, a committee or the government. Another benefit is that quotas help reduce the gap between the numbers of women and men represented in the political arena.
There are different types of quotas, with the main distinction being between legislative and constitutional quotas on the one hand and voluntary political party quotas on the other. Legislative and constitutional quotas are based on legal provisions, officially mandating that all political entities participating in elections apply them equally. Voluntary political party quotas are set by the political parties themselves, in order to guarantee the nomination of a certain number or proportion of women.
Quotas can be applied in the nomination process or be results-based, such as quotas that depend on how many seats a party is given. In order to gain a better understanding of the types of quotas that work most effectively, their use should be examined in the context of the electoral system. In this section, you will find information and publications about different types of quotas, materials concerning the effective application of quotas and an overview of the countries using them (see the Quota Project).
From the Library
The Implementation of Voluntary Gender Quotas by the Australian Labor Party
This presentation describes the background of the Australian Labor Party and highlights the party's experiences with introducing affirmative action measures in Australia.
Consolidated Response on Women’s Political Participation in Traditional and Conservative Societies
This consolidated response highlights types of positive action measures, advocacy campaigns, women’s movements, and educational opportunities that help women in traditional and conservative societies to overcome some of the barriers that they face in politics and public life.
Consolidated Response on Gender Quotas in African Countries
This consolidated response highlights various types of quotas adopted in African countries and provides details on the implementation of quotas under different electoral systems. The response also includes several annexes with data on quotas based on country and on quota type.
Temporary Special Measures To Promote Gender Balance In Pacific Legislatures: A Guide to Options
This guide provides practical recommendations and tools on how to promote women in parliaments in the Pacific region. It describes the use of special measures such as reserved seats and political party quotas, and special campaigning tools.
European Women's Lobby Lobbying Kit on Parity Democracy
The Kit has been produced in the context of the EWL Campaign “No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality” to be launched officially in September 2009. The Kit comprises of two sections. In the first section, you will find an Action Kit, which includes all the steps that you can take to improve the presence of women in European decision-making. The second section provides in-depth information and clarifies certain myths in relation to parity democracy and quotas. The Kit aims at helping women’s non-governmental organizations and other interested actors to put pressure on political parties and decision-makers to introduce measures to advance parity in view of the EP elections and the nominations to be made for EU top jobs in 2009.
Women in Politics: Opinion Research Paper
This research paper aims to determine how the Turkish society perceives the participation of women in politics. Among other issues, the research was conducted to analyze people's attitude towards women's participation in political decision-making process, gender quotas in political parties, and the role of political parties in the advancement of women in politics.
Indian Experience of Women’s Quota in Local Government: Implications for Future Strategies
This paper highlights Indian experiences with introducing and using gender quotas in politics at local and national levels. It also describes different types of potential candidates and the impact of various players, such as media and women's organizations, on women's political participation.
Explaining Women’s Representation: The Role of Legislative Recruitment & Electoral Systems
This paper examines the principal steps involved in the process of recruiting individuals to countries’ legislatures. It also looks at the effect of development, culture, and a country’s electoral system on women’s representation.
Conditions determining the level of representation of women: The experience of quota system in Latin America
This report provides a general view of the position of women in the legislative powers in three periods: between the 1970s and the 1980s, around 1995 and in 2004. It also describes an increasing trend in the participation of women in Latin American parliaments that is independent of the quotas.
Gender, Women and Electoral Politics in Zimbabwe
This paper analyzes electoral processes, national legislative framework, and the impact of international and regional agreements on Zimbabwe's elections. It also describes specific problems faced by women as candidates such as hostility from men, insufficient funding, and resistance to quotas.





