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France: The Republic Tested by Parity

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Part of the book series: Gender and Politics ((GAP))

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Abstract

Sénac explores the relationship between French republicanism and the gender parity reforms enacted over the last twenty years. In 2000, France was the first country to institute a legal requirement for political parties to nominate equal numbers of women and men as candidates on election lists. This appears paradoxical in a country where women obtained the right to vote and to be elected only in 1944. While progress was initially slow, in 2017 nearly 40% women were elected to the National Assembly. Yet women continue to be under represented in other key positions, as head of state and government, presidents of parliaments, presidents of regional and departmental councils, and chairpersons of city councils. This suggests that quotas do not address all aspects of male dominance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sciences Po, CEVIPOF, CNRS, Paris, France

    Réjane Sénac

Authors
  1. Réjane Sénac
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Correspondence to Réjane Sénac .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Susan Franceschet

  2. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Mona Lena Krook

  3. McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Netina Tan

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Sénac, R. (2019). France: The Republic Tested by Parity. In: Franceschet, S., Krook, M.L., Tan, N. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Women’s Political Rights. Gender and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59074-9_32

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