The generally positive impact of a balanced gender representation in decision making bodies upon the functioning of political system is increasingly acknowledged, and measures are being taken to promote that balance. While proportional representation is thought to be favorable for women’s representation, effects of the open-list subtype are under-researched.
Latvia has employed open-list PR system for seven post-Communist parliamentary elections. Yet, the share of women parliamentarians has in the meantime increased from 15% to 21% although 53% of eligible voters are women.
This paper, therefore, sets to address a range of questions by means of quantitative analysis of voting results and sociological characteristics of both female and male candidates over a period of seven elections. What might explain a heavy underrepresentation of women in a country where 53% of voting-age citizens are women? What is the role of positive and negative preferences? Are there any sociological patterns among candidates that help explain their success? Do party families affect women’s electability? Do new parties offer a better springboard for women candidates? What is the role of incumbency? Can we discern any patterns over time?
This paper would provide a more detailed interpretation of women’s underrepresentation under one type of preferential voting by means of (1) comparing a range of factors affecting electability of male and female candidates, (2) exploring those factors over time, and (3) analyzing empirical data of a new democracy.
