Electoral gender quotas in formal political power structures: Breaching patterns of male overrepresentation

Abstract

I draw on a substantial body of theoretical and empirical research on electoral gender quotas, and using data from CAWP, CRS, EIP, Higher Heights, IPU, IWPR, Rutgers University, UNICEF, I perform analyses and make estimates regarding world and regional averages of women in legislatures worldwide, the share of elective offices held by women (U.S.), and the number of Black women in Congress. Taken together, the outcomes of the analysis support the notion that quotas are extremely adequate when they remarkably disorganize former models of male overrepresentation.