Presentation on quotas as tools to enhance women’s participation in decision-making by Jullie Ballington, UNDP. Presentation presented at UNDP Regional Forum on Equal participation in decision-making, Istanbul, Session 3: Quotas as a tool to enhance women’s participation on decision-making

1. Quotas as Tools to Enhance
Women’s Participation
Regional Forum on Equal Participation in Decision-Making
Istanbul, 15 November 2011
Julie Ballington, Adviser, Global Programme on Electoral Cycle Support, UNDP

2. Women in Decision-Making: The Targets
• 1979-85: CEDAW & Third World Conference on Women
suggested concrete measures be taken for the
advancement of women
• 1990: ECOSOC Resolution no. 15 recommended a
target of 30% women in leadership posts by 1995 and
50% by 2000
• 1995: Fourth World conference reported little progress
in 30% target. Platform for Action stipulates the aim of
‘gender balance’ and having the same proportion of
both sexes in public positions, i.e. 50 - 50.
• 2000: Millennium Development Goals set indicator of
at least 30% women by 2015.

3. Women in National Parliaments (188)
50-60% 2
50%
5
26
40-50%
14%
30-40%
19
30%
20-30% 46
65
162
10-20%
86%
1-10% 43
0%
8
IPU, Women in National Parliaments, single and lower houses 2011

4. Numbers in Regional Perspective
45% 42.1%
40%
35%
30%
25% 22% 22%
19.5% 18% 19%
20%
12.5%
15% 10.9%
10%
5%
0%
Nordic Americas Europe incl. World Asia Sub- Pacific Arab States
countries Nordic Average Saharan
countries Africa

5. What have we learned in the past 10 years?
• Knowledge on strategies to increase women’s
participation, including working with political
parties
• Investment by international community in
supporting women candidates: capacity
building/training workshops
• Support of CSOs is key in terms of mobilization
and oversight.
• Despite this, the most important measure has
been use of quotas

6. Women in National Parliaments (188)
50-60% 2
50%
5
26
40-50%
14%
30-40%
19
30%
23 countries use quotas:
11 with voluntary candidate quota by parties
3 with reserved seats
12 with legislated candidate quota
3 with no quotas (Andorra, Denmark, NZL)
IPU, Women in National Parliaments, single and lower houses 2011, www.quotaproject.org

7. Types of quotas
Candidate quotas
Legislated: Minimum percentage of candidate for
election must be women as stipulated in legislation
Voluntary party quota: Minimum percentage of
candidates for election as determined on a
voluntary basis by political parties
 OUTPUT: Guaranteed seats
Reserved seats: Number of seats are set aside in
the parliament for women.

8. Quotas in practice
Legislated candidate quota: 52 countries
FYR Macedonia In lists of candidates, of every three
places at least one will be reserved
for the less represented sex
Kyrgyzstan Law specifies a 30% quota for either
sex on electoral lists
Serbia Political party lists must contain at
least 30% of each sex.
In an additional 50 countries, political parties have
voluntary quotas

9. Electoral systems matter
Quotas need to match the electoral system:
- 70% of countries with proportional or mixed electoral
systems use some type of quota
- Less than 30% of countries with majority/plurality electoral
systems use quotas
- Therefore the gap in women’s representation in different
electoral systems is only likely to widen in the future
- During 2009, women were elected in twice the number in
proportional systems than in majority/plurality systems
(26% versus 13%)

10. Rank-order rules are necessary
1. Zipper system – alternation throughout the list
(E.g. Green parties, most parties in Sweden)
2. The top two candidates cannot be of the same
sex (Belgium)
3. One-in three must be a woman
(Albania, FYR of Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan)

11. Sanctions for non-compliance:
• Rejection of the list (Kyrgyzstan, Slovenia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Places shall remain empty (Belgium)
• Financial penalty (Albania)

12. Conclusion
“One cannot deal with the problem of female
representation by a quota system alone. Political
parties, the educational system, NGOs, trade
Unions…– all must take responsibility with their own
organisations to systematically promote women’s
participation from the bottom up. This will take time.”
Birgitta Dahl, Former Speaker of Parliament, Sweden
Supportive measures include:
• Capacity building of newly elected members
• Sensitization of all members, including men
• Instituting gender sensitive reforms in parliament
• Democratization of political parties