Parity and Quotas in Politics

In the 2000s, France introduced parity laws to address women's chronic underrepresentation in politics, a situation that had persisted since women gained the vote in 1944. Parity — equal representation of men and women in politics — became both a legal target, with a quota of 50%, and a political watchword. This policy is unique to France.

To achieve equal (50%) representation of women and men in elected political bodies, and, through successive expansions of the legal provisions, to extend the parity principle beyond politics.

Some elected bodies now include more women following the parity laws, though the laws have had only limited impact on the underlying principles governing political recruitment.

Despite continual expansion of the legal provisions, with comparatively broad political consensus, parity and quota laws have had only limited impact on political recruitment. The political order remains fundamentally masculine, and gender-based principles of domination largely persist unquestioned.