Electoral Systems and Women's Representation

Abstract

Various studies demonstrate a large degree of heterogeneity with regard to the (descriptive) representation of certain societal groups in parliaments. The proportion of women in legislatures, for example, differs quite drastically between countries and diverse tiers of government. It is, however, still unclear how electoral systems affect the numerical representation of certain societal groups. This panel focuses on representation of women. First, it addresses the question of whether some electoral systems are more favorable for the representation of women than others. Second, contributions may also address the issue of how electoral systems affect the substantive representation of women.