How many years longer: What is the path to equal gender representation?
The “Golden Years” for Women’s Representation: proportional representation and gender quotas are the two most important reforms to enable women's representation
By Alissa Bombardier Shaw and Nora Weiss
RepresentWomen recently released our Golden Year Analysis, which identified the factors influencing global progress toward gender parity in politics in 2021 and 2022. Of 85 countries that held elections in these years, 43 achieved a “golden year” by electing a record-high number of women to their national legislatures. While this is certainly cause for celebration, gender-balanced governance remains far from reach for many countries, including the United States. Of the 23 countries that achieved a golden year in 2021, seven are either at or nearing gender balance: Nicaragua (51%), Mexico (50%), Norway (45%), Argentina (45%), Ethiopia (42%), the Republic of Moldova (41%), and Peru (40%).
While the United States is making slow progress toward political parity, other countries are making more significant gains over time. A number of nations broke records for women’s representation, making 2021 their golden year. These countries include Cabo Verde (39%), Albania (36%), Chile (26%), Armenia (36%), South Sudan (32%), Chad (31%), Canada (31%), Vietnam (30%), Iraq (29%), Liechtenstein (28%), Kazakhstan (27%), Honduras (27%), the Czech Republic (26%). Morocco (24%), the Russian Federation (16%), and Côte d'Ivoire (14%).
The Golden Year Analysis emphasizes the role that systems-level factors, such as voting systems and election rules, play in improving women’s representation in government. By analyzing global trends in women’s representation, this report sheds light on the most promising pathways to progress. Our research, as well as the research of others, show there are three crucial factors:
Factor 1: The most effective reform: gender quotas
Of all systems-level reforms, gender quotas are among the most effective in facilitating rapid and impressive gains for women in politics. In 2021, Mexico achieved gender balance (50% women) in parliament due to a gender quota law implemented a few years prior. Though still far from parity, Malta’s new gender quota law also resulted in women’s representation progressing from 15% in 2021 to 28% in 2022. Similarly, Guinea’s 2019 gender quota law resulted in a 17% increase in women’s representation in 2022. Guinea’s law stipulates that at least 30% of party lists must be reserved for women candidates and enforces legal sanctions for non-compliance.
Still, adopting gender quotas does not always guarantee better outcomes for women. In Cyprus, gender quotas are voluntary, and parties are not punished for failing to comply. As a result, in 2021, Cyprus experienced significant declines in women’s representation, demonstrating how voluntary gender quota laws produce mixed results, especially in contexts where patriarchal norms are strong.
In the same way that implementing gender quotas can advance women’s representation, removing these reforms can result in lost progress. The nations that repealed quotas experienced an immediate decline in women’s representation. Despite Algeria’s recent advances towards a gender-balanced parliament, women’s representation decreased from 26% to 8% after President Abdelmadjid Tebboune waived the parliamentary gender quota. To foster sustainable progress toward political parity, countries must ensure that gender quotas are strongly enforced and maintained over time.
Factor 2: Proportional representation
While well-designed and enforced gender quotas tend to have the most immediate impact on women’s political representation, other systems-level reforms also have the potential to accelerate progress towards gender balance. According to our research, women tend to fare better in proportional voting systems compared to majority and plurality voting systems. By allowing for multiple winners and diversifying candidate pools, proportional voting systems mitigate barriers that have historically gate-kept women from serving in elected office.
65% of countries that attained their best year have either proportional (PR) or semi-proportional (semi-PR) voting systems. This finding echoes previous research that has established a positive relationship between gender quotas, proportional representation, and women’s representation.
Factor 3: Cultural values
Although voting systems and election rules are critical in achieving gender-balanced governance, social norms and cultural values are equally important. To create sustainable change, we all must foster a culture that condemns gender-based discrimination and promotes equity in the context of politics and all aspects of society. Systems-level reforms can accelerate progress but must be supported by cultural narratives that empower women.
In Colombia, women's representation increased by 10% in 2022, but not due to a new or recently reformed gender quota since Colombia adopted a 30% legislated candidate quota more than ten years ago. Instead, increased awareness and advocacy on women’s issues resulted from protests that started in April 2021, the participation of the feminist political party Estamos Listos, and an overwhelming increase of women candidates after the country increased the number of electoral districts.
The United States: wealthy superpower, underachiever in women’s representation
As of October 2023, the U.S. is ranked 68th in the world for women’s representation, tied with Iraq and Columbia. U.S. women are still underrepresented at every level of government, holding one-third of all elected positions, despite comprising over 50% of the population as highlighted in RepresentWomen’s annual Gender Parity Index (GPI). The GPI also calls attention to how women of color are further underrepresented, holding approximately one-tenth of all elected positions.
In the 2023 GPI, 23 states have earned a “D” grade and Louisiana received a lonely “F.” It’s not all bad news, however. Following the 2022 elections, 12 states have women governors, breaking the previous record of nine. Higher rates of representation for women were concentrated in the Northeast and West Coast, while women’s representation in Southern and many Midwestern states lags far behind.
The Golden Year Analysis is meant to bring attention to how election rules and voting systems shape opportunities for women to enter politics; the social and cultural factors in each country further shape the impact these systems have on women’s representation and political power. While having more women in office is an important factor in creating a more representative government, not all of the countries covered in this analysis are free and fair democracies, and this analysis does not constitute our endorsement of any other country’s regime. In addition, while electing more women is an important first step in achieving a representative government, this alone won’t transform women’s political power.
Undoubtedly, golden years are noteworthy milestones in women’s global representation and deserve recognition. However, the fight for gender balance in politics is far from finished. While some countries are making significant progress toward political parity, many, such as the United States, have only experienced incremental gains, despite breaking records.
To achieve gender balance in our lifetimes, we must invest in structural solutions like proportional representation and gender quotas that increase women’s representation. RepresentWomen is committed to advancing women’s political representation by researching, identifying, and promoting evidence-based, systems-level reforms that can accelerate progress toward gender-balanced governance.
Alissa Bombardier Shaw is the Outreach Manager at RepresentWomen and equips the democracy reform and women’s representation spaces to understand how systems strategies remove barriers to women’s political power.
Nora Weiss is a communications intern at RepresentWomen and a current undergraduate student at George Washington University.