Quota Laws for Women in Politics: Implications for Feminist Practice

This paper considers the adoption and diffusion of gender quota laws worldwide aimed at increasing the number of women holding political offices. In more than fifty countries where such laws have been enacted, this study explores the motives for their adoption, the actors, and the implications this has for feminist practice. While quotas have been able to increase women's political participation, they also bring to light other structural inequalities, including violence against women in politics and cultural resistance. This paper underlines that intersectional, context-specific strategies are imperative in realizing the full transformative potential of gender quotas. The paper also concluded that gender quotas are one important step to achieving political equality but do not eliminate problems outright. Overcoming several other barriers, such as quotas to reduce political violence and ensuring that the mechanisms are intersectionally inclusive, remains a necessary component for transformation.