Gender Quotas and the Diversity of Elected Women

Opponents of gender quotas often argue that they benefit primarily women from privileged racial, ethnic, and religious groups. Yet, there is little empirical evidence to support this claim. Contending that gender quotas are detrimental to the election of minoritized groups is a tactic used by some groups of men to undermine support for quotas and maintain their political power. This paper investigates the effects of gender quotas on the diversity of women elected to national legislatures around the world. We hypothesize that expansive and effective gender quotas not only produce more women -- but more diverse women -- in elected office. This study draws from newly collected intersectional data on the gender and minoritized status of elected legislators in 76 democratic and semi-democratic countries. We consider how the presence and features of gender quotas affect which women are elected. Preliminary results suggest that as women’s numbers in legislatures increase, their diversity increases as well. Implementing expansive and effective gender quotas can therefore be an important tool for advancing political diversity across multiple axes of identity.