Quotas and Women’s Representation in Decision-Making Bodies

Fact Sheet No. 1

Government replies to the UN Questionnaire¹ for the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action show that countries which have applied quota systems in decision-making bodies, national and local parliaments and political parties experienced a significant increase in women's representation. This is true not only for Europe but in Africa, Asia and Latin America as well.

In the proposed outcome document submitted by the Preparatory Committee for the special session of the General Assembly, governments agreed that quotas can be used to improve women's political participation. In paragraph 100a of Section IV, governments committed themselves to " set and encourage the use of explicit short and long-term bound targets or measurable goals, including where appropriate, quotas to promote progress towards gender balance including women's equal access to and full participation on a basis of equality with men in all areas and at all levels of public life, especially in decision and policy-making positions, in political parties and political activities, in all government ministries and at key policy-making institutions, as well as in local development bodies and authorities."

1. In terms of sheer numbers, quotas have without question increased the number of women in decision-making positions.

• Six nations (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and Iceland) have women in at least one third of the seats in the lower or single House of the national legislature, all of which have some type of quotas in place to increase representation of women.
• Most dramatic is the case of South Africa which jumped from No. 141 in 1994 in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's ranking of national legislatures by the share of seats held by women to No. 9 in 2000 after adoption by the African National Congress of a 30 percent quota for women candidates. At present, 29.8 percent of the lower legislative seats in South Africa are held by women.

2. Several countries have passed reservation laws for women in national and local legislative bodies:

• Bangladesh (30 seats out of 330)
• India (1/3 of Panchayat or Village Councils)
• Tanzania (15 percent of 255 seats)
• India (1/3 of Panchayat or village governing councils)
• Eritrea (10 seats out of 105)
• Uganda (one seat for each of 39 districts)

3. In Latin America, national laws require political parties to reserve 20 to 40 percent of candidacies for women:

• Argentina
• Dominican Republic
• Venezuela
• Bolivia
• Ecuador
• Brazil
• Panama
• Costa Rica
• Peru

Similar minimum-seat quota laws have been enacted at the subnational level as well. For example, quota rules have been adopted in many Argentine provinces and Mexican states.²

4. Some of the most celebrated quota systems in the world are informal, party-led actions:

• South Africa's African National Congress party instituted a quota system which reserves 30 percent of parliamentary and 50 percent of local government candidacies for women.
• A number of European countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, all have political parties committed to using quotas with fixed percentages of women candidates.

5. In France, to rectify women's under representation in the National Assembly (10%), in the Senate (5%), in local assemblies (5%) in municipalities or local constituencies (20%), and in mayorships (7%), a constitutional amendment was introduced in June, 1999.

• The amendment provided for 50 percent representation of women in all elected assemblies in each succeeding election.
• A law was passed mandating "obligation of results" i.e., 50 percent women in the local elections in 2001 and in the National Assembly in 2002. Political parties which do not include 50% women in their party lists face financial sanctions such as reduction or withdrawal of campaign funding support from government.

6. Quotas can also be used in executive and other administrative positions.

• Finland's law requiring that at least 40 percent of each sex be represented in the membership of various public decisionmaking bodies led to an increase in women's membership from 25 percent in 1980 to 48 percent in 1996.
• Similar quota-based increases have been realized in Denmark.³

Sources

1. Report of the Secretary-General, January 19, 2000
2. Mala N. Htun, "Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America," Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas, November, 1998 (www.iadialog.org).
3. Ibid.