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What are Quotas?

The core idea behind quota systems is to recruit women into political positions and to ensure that women are not isolated in political life.

Quota systems aim at ensuring that women constitute at least a "critical minority" of 30 or 40 per cent.
Quotas for women entail that women must constitute a certain number or percentage of the members of a body, whether it is a candidate list, a parliamentary assembly, a committee, or a government. The quota system places the burden of recruitment not on the individual woman, but on those who control the recruitment process. The core idea behind this system is to recruit women into political positions and to ensure that women are not isolated in political life. Previous notions of having reserved seats for only one or for very few women, representing a vague and all-embracing category of "woman", are no longer considered sufficient. Today, quota systems aim at ensuring that women constitute at least a "critical minority" of 30 or 40 per cent. Quotas may be applied as a temporary measure, that is to say, until the barriers for women's entry into politics are removed.

Most quotas aim at increasing women's representation, because the problem to be addressed usually is the under-representation of women; this is particularly relevant since women constitute 50 per cent of the population in most countries. A quota regulation may, for example, require that at least 40 per cent of the members of a committee are women.

Quota systems may also be constructed as gender-neutral, which means that they aim at correcting the under-representation of both women and men. In this case, the requirement may be that men as well as women should constitute 40 per cent of the members of a committee, or that neither gender should occupy more than 60 per cent and no less that 40 per cent of the seats.

Quotas to help men into certain positions may be used in sectors with an overwhelming representation of women, for example, social work. But even in this sector, men occupy the majority of leadership positions; thus quotas are aimed more at getting men into education and into entry-level positions in this field. There are, however, rare examples of gender-neutral quota systems to help men into politics, for example, in the Socialist People's Party in Denmark, a party with many active women. In this discussion we focus mainly on quotas for women.

"One cannot deal with the problem of female representation by a quota system alone. Political parties, the educational system, NGOs, trade unions, churches ­ all must take responsibility within their own organizations to systematically promote women's participation, from the bottom up. This will take time. It will not happen overnight, or in one year or five years; it will take one or two generations to realize significant change.
      This is what we are working on in Sweden. We did not start with a quota system. First we laid the groundwork to facilitate women's entry into politics. We prepared the women to ensure they were competent to enter the field; and we prepared the system, which made it a little less shameful for men to step aside. Then we used quotas as an instrument in segments and institutions where we needed a breakthrough."

--- Birgitta Dahl, Speaker of Parliament, Sweden

Quotas are a much debated issue among both men and women around the world. Opinions vary among women regarding the effects, fairness and repercussions of using quotas to increase women's representation. In August 1997, International IDEA gathered women MPs from around the world to discuss this issue within the broader context of women's effectiveness and participation in politics. Some of the opinions shared are highlighted throughout this chapter.

Quotas:Pros and Cons

Various arguments have been set forth for and against the introduction of quotas as a means to increase the political presence of women. Some of the pros and cons include:

Cons

  • Quotas are against the principle of equal opportunity for all, since women are given preference;

  • Quotas are undemocratic, because voters should be able to decide who is elected;

  • Quotas imply that politicians are elected because of their gender, not because of their qualifications, and that more qualified candidates are pushed aside;

  • Many women do not want to get elected just because they are women;

  • Introducing quotas creates significant conflicts within the party organization.

Pros

  • Quotas for women do not discriminate, but compensate for actual barriers that prevent women from their fair share of the political seats;

  • Quotas imply that there are several women together in a committee or assembly, thus minimizing the stress often experienced by the token women;

  • Women have the right to equal representation;

  • Women's experiences are needed in political life;

  • Election is about representation, not educational qualifications;

  • Women are just as qualified as men, but women's qualifications are downgraded and minimized in a maledominated political system;

  • It is in fact the political parties that control the nominations, not primarily the voters who decide who gets elected;

  • Introducing quotas may cause conflicts, but only temporarily.

"Quotas are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they oblige men to think about including women in decision-making, since men must create spaces for women. On the other hand, since it is men who are opening up these spaces, they will seek out women who they will be able to manage ­ women who will more easily accept the hegemony of men."

--- Anna Balletbo, MP Spain

Two Concepts of Equality

In general, quotas for women represent a shift from one concept of equality to another. The classic liberal notion of equality was a notion of "equal opportunity" or "competitive equality". Removing the formal barriers, for example, giving women voting rights, was considered sufficient. The rest was up to the individual women.

Following strong feminist pressure in the last few decades, a second concept of equality is gaining increasing relevance and support: the notion of "equality of result". The argument is that real equal opportunity does not exist just because formal barriers are removed. Direct discrimination, as well as a complex pattern of hidden barriers, prevent women from getting their share of political influence. Quotas and other forms of positive measures are thus a means towards equality of result. The argument is based on the experience that equality as a goal cannot be reached by formal equal treatment as a means. If barriers exist, it is argued, compensatory measures must be introduced as a means to reach equality of result.


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