“It’s not just a matter of increasing numbers!” Advancing women’s political representation in quota-adopting countries

Abstract

Electoral gender quotas are among the most contested policies worldwide. A common criticism is that quotas promote undeserving women and therefore undermine the meritocracy. Although criticism persists, paradoxically, it has rarely been subject to empirical testing in Central and Eastern European countries. The objective of the present study is to address this gap by examining the characteristics of a randomly selected sample of 410 representatives in the local councils of Albania. By comparing the councillors across demographic characteristics, political experience, and ties in politics, I show that quotas have promoted a diverse group of women, who, compared to men, are more educated, younger, and more likely to live in rural areas. While the practice of relying on family or kinship ties to advance in local politics is more common among women than among men, differences were not found between women promoted through gender quotas and their non-quota female colleagues. The present findings call into question the assumptions that surround gender quotas, suggesting greater use of evidence to challenge popular perceptions and beliefs.

Money matters: The impact of gender quotas on campaign spending for women candidates

“…Prior experience as an officeholder or party leader significantly enhances the fundraising position of male and female candidates under quotas (Hillman, 2018). However, women elected under quotas are less likely to have prior officeholding experiences than men (Dauti, 2020; Górecki and Kukołowicz, 2014) and to be less well-positioned to leverage experience to raise money. There is also evidence that parties respond to gender quotas by nominating fewer mediocre male candidates (Besley et al, 2017), which may contribute to gender experience gaps by reducing the number of inexperienced male candidates.…”

Where Do We Go from Here? Enhancing Women’s Political Representation in the Local Councils of Albania

“…Early work -following the implementation of electoral gender quotas -focused on the resistance to the reform and how resistance shaped the reform's outcomes (Antić Gaber and Lokar 2006;Dahlerup and Antić Gaber 2017;Krook 2015). Further, scholars have looked into the characteristics of elected representatives -often comparing women with men (Dauti 2020;O'Brien 2012;Murray 2010;Sater 2012). A consistent finding is that gender quotas -contrary to popular belief -do not promote women who are less qualified than men.…”

“…The increased presence of women in local politics has earned Albania a reputation for being one of the European countries with the highest proportion of women in local councils (Council of European Municipalities and Regions 2019). Yet, there is a growing concern that numbers do not translate into political power (Dauti 2020). Another interrelated concern is that an increasingly authoritarian leadership uses women's numeric representation to sustain political power (Erebara 2020).…”