Introduction

Abstract

This book looks at how political parties have responded to the demands of gender quotas, using France as a case study. Gender quotas are a rapidly growing phenomenon and they affect politics in a number of ways, from shaping the composition of legislatures to influencing the legitimacy of the political system. Parties are the central actors at the heart of this process — they are the ones who introduce quotas, either on a piecemeal voluntary basis or through enacting legislation, and they are then the actors charged with quota implementation. Quotas have a huge impact on parties, influencing their recruitment and selection practices, their electoral prospects and their image. However, despite the critical influence of parties on the introduction and implementation of quotas, and of quotas on the practices of parties, the interaction between the two has gone largely unstudied. Scholars of parties have not taken adequate account of the impact of gender quotas on party behaviour, while scholars of quotas have focused on the normative arguments and practical consequences of quotas rather than considering the central role of parties. This book fills this gap in knowledge by illustrating how quotas affect parties, and using theories of party behaviour to explain whether, why and to what extent parties will implement gender quotas.