About the Project
Obstacles to women's political participation exist throughout the world in prevailing social and economic regimes, as well as in existing political structures. In 2005, the representation of women reached nearly 16 percent globally. Although this total has increased in recent years, the minimal progress globally means that the ideal of parity remains a long way off. Given the slow rate at which the representation of women is increasing, various methods -- such as electoral quotas -- have been proposed or implemented to address the present gender imbalance in decision-making. Consequently, governments and political parties have experimented with different types of quotas.
As the debate about the use of quotas as a tool to increase the political participation of women gains momentum, International IDEA and Stockholm University are collaborating on a research project leading to the production of a comparative knowledge and resources on their implementation and impact.
The first step in the collection of global information on quotas is the development of this website database. This website provides information on the various types of quotas in existence today, detailing the percentages and targets in countries where they are applicable. This database is intended as a working research tool. That is, the database will continue to expand as more information becomes available and is verified.
Click here for more information on the methodology of this database.
The information in this database will inform further research to be undertaken in this regard. International IDEA and Stockholm University will study the discursive controversy around quotas, the debates and decision-making processes that led to their introduction, the implementation of various types of quotas including formal and informal quotas and the consequences of quotas. The project will result in:
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An International IDEA handbook on quotas in practice, provisionally entitled: From Theory to Practice: The Implementation of Quotas in Global Perspective. This handbook will detail best practices regarding the use of quotas that governments, political parties, women's groups, multi-lateral organizations and other stakeholders can learn from. As a means of collecting experiences and information from countries around the world, regional workshops on quotas will be held. In 2002, a workshop on quota implementation in Asia was held in
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An academic book will be produced by Drude Dahlerup, Quotas: A key to Equality? An international comparison of the use of electoral quotas to obtain equal political citizenship for women. Click here for more information on this project.
The Partners
This website is a collaborative effort of International IDEA and Stockholm University.
International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization with member states across all continents which seeks to support sustainable democracy in both new and long-established democracies. IDEA draws on comparative experience, analyses democracy trends and assistance, and develops policy options, tools and guidelines relating to: (1) political participation, especially of under-represented such as women, (2) electoral systems, management and observation, (3) political party law, management and financing and (4) post-conflict democracy building and dialogue. More information at www.idea.int . The International IDEA representative is Rita Taphorn.
At the Department of Political Science at Stockholm University, Drude Dahlerup is heading a research project: "Quotas - a Key to Equality? An International Comparison of the Use of Electoral Quotas to obtain Equal Political Citizenship for Women". The project is supported by the Swedish Research Council.
Other researchers at the university included Christina Alnevall, Lenita Freidenvall, Mona Lena Krook and Anja Thorup Nordlund.