Voluntary Political Party Quotas and Gender Equality: Does Increased Female Political Representation Yield More Positive Views on Gender Equality?

Abstract

The present study will address the main research question: do voluntary political party quotas have an impact on views on gender equality more broadly in society? The hypothesis is that they do have an impact and that increased female political participation will yield more positive views of women as equals in society. The study provides preliminary evidence for policies that promote quotas as ways to both increase female political participation as well as use that increased representation as a tool to improve women’s status in society outside of the political arena. The study will use multivariate OLS regression analysis to assess this hypothesis. The study will utilize multiple data sources including Quality of Government data, World Values Survey data, and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance data to this end.