Posted: December 30th, 2022

A quantitative analysis of the country level factors influencing female representation in national legislatures of electoral democracies

A quantitative analysis of the country level factors influencing female representation in national legislatures of electoral democracies
Female representation in national legislatures is a key indicator of gender equality in a country and has important implications for the policies and laws that are enacted. A number of country-level factors have been identified as influencing the level of female representation in national legislatures in electoral democracies.
One factor that has consistently been found to be associated with higher levels of female representation is the presence of gender quotas. Gender quotas are legislative or constitutional measures that require a certain percentage of candidates on a political party's list to be women. Research has shown that countries with gender quotas tend to have higher levels of female representation in their national legislatures compared to countries without quotas.
Another factor that has been found to be associated with higher levels of female representation is the type of electoral system. Proportional representation systems, which allocate seats in a legislature based on the proportion of votes received by a party, tend to have higher levels of female representation compared to majoritarian systems, which elect a single candidate in each electoral district. This is likely due to the fact that proportional representation systems allow for the representation of smaller parties and marginalized groups, including women.
The level of economic development in a country has also been found to be related to female representation in national legislatures. Countries with higher levels of economic development tend to have higher levels of female representation, possibly because economic development is associated with higher levels of education and gender equality, which can create a more favorable environment for women's political participation.
Other factors that have been identified as influencing female representation in national legislatures include the presence of civil society organizations that promote women's political participation, the level of political parties' support for women's representation, and the level of media attention given to women's issues.
A number of country-level factors have been found to be associated with the level of female representation in national legislatures of electoral democracies. A quantitative analysis of these factors can help to identify the key drivers of gender equality in the political sphere and inform efforts to increase female representation in national legislatures around the world.

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