Institute of Development Studies

Women, politics and quotas – more than a numbers game

30 September 2010

A new IDS Bulletin questions whether positive discrimination is a universal fix-it for increasing women's involvement in political decision-making.

Quotas: Add Women and Stir?, edited by Mariz Tadros and Ana Alice Alcantara Costa, goes beyond considering purely the numbers of women in power worldwide as it explores the various experiences of quotas in a range of countries, including Brazil, Pakistan, Egypt, Rwanda and the UK.

Mariz Tadros, a researcher in the Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme Consortium, writes: 'As more countries have adopted one form or another of the quota, it is now time to reflect on what the implications have been for transforming gender relations and the nature of politics at large.'

Conclusions drawn in the Bulletin include:

• Quotas are not always introduced by those with an interest in furthering women's political participation, with alternative agendas often operating.
• Once in power, women who benefit from quota systems may not pursue a political agenda that is favourable to promoting social or gender justice.
• Alternative pathways to political power can be as effective as quota systems depending on context.
• Women from elite backgrounds may benefit from quota systems at the expense of women lower down the social scale.

Quotas: Add Women and Stir? is published shortly after a report to world leaders attending the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Summit in New York detailed the 'sluggish' progress made by the global community in achieving gender equality. In 2010 the share of women in parliaments worldwide reached 19 per cent, a 73 per cent increase over the 11 per cent level of 15 years earlier, but well short of parity. Nine out of 151 elected heads of state, and 11 out of 192 heads of government, were women in 2010.

In this podcast, Mariz Tadros talks about the opportunities and limitations presented by quotas, and the lessons for increasing women's political representation in parliament and elsewhere.

Related Publications

• Tadros, M. and Costa, A. (2010) 'Quotas: Add Women and Stir?', IDS Bulletin 41.5, Brighton: IDS

Related Projects

• Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme Consortium - International research and communications programme finding out what works to enhance women’s empowerment (Ongoing)