The Latvian Path from Descriptive to Substantive Representation of Women

The 2018 parliamentary elections were a watershed year for women in Latvian politics. In this election, women’s descriptive representation increased from 19% to 31%, the largest increase since the re-establishment of independence in 1991 with no gender quotas or institutional mechanisms for gender equality. Paxton and Hughes (2017), categorize this 12% increase as a big jump in women’s representation. This paper, part of a larger book project, questions if the sharp increase in women’s descriptive representation corresponds to better substantive representation for women in Latvia. Using data from in-depth political ethnographic research in the Saeima (Latvian parliament), including participant observation and 44 interviews with female members of parliament, I examine substantive representation in the Latvian case. I use interview data to explore if women MPs take women’s interests into account in their daily parliamentary work. Then I compare this to differences in parliamentary voting patterns. I found gendered differences in substantive representation between men and women MPs despite the increase in descriptive representation. Consequently, the Latvian path shows a sharp increase in descriptive representation but no increase in substantive representation or overall gender equality.