Women Just Wanna Have Quotas: The Gender Divide on Affirmative Action in the Chilean Right

Abstract

Objective/context: This article examines attitudes towards gender quotas by right-wing leadership in Chile and assesses gender gaps in supporting affirmative action. Methodology: The study uses original data from a survey of leaders of Chile Vamos, a right-wing political alliance in Chile. A series of logistic models with finite-sample corrections are estimated to examine the attitudes of right-wing leaders towards gender quotas and support for affirmative action policies. The models control for various demographic and political factors that may affect attitudes towards affirmative action. Conclusions: The findings for right-wing women in Chile are similar to those for Northern democracies. Right-wing elites show a significant gender gap on issues related to affirmative action and gender equality. Right-wing women are more likely to support affirmative action policies than their male counterparts. Originality: Quotas increase women’s autonomy and recognize that women are historically disadvantaged. The findings of this article support the importance of descriptive representation to the extent that attitudes of right-wing women differ significantly on issues close to their gender.