The Ideological Approach

Abstract

So far this book has looked in some detail at why compulsory quotas may be problematic for political parties, using the example of parity in France. The book has demonstrated that parity places institutional constraints on parties that limit their ability to select their preferred candidates. Parties are torn between the obligation to respect parity and the desire to keep incumbents happy, retain support amongst their membership, negotiate with coalition partners and, most crucially, win elections. While the claim that women candidates lose votes does not appear to be substantiated, there is certainly no solid evidence to suggest that fielding more women poses an electoral advantage to parties. For all these reasons, parties’ unwillingness to comply with the parity law appears understandable. What is harder to comprehend is why parties would choose to introduce or implement parity under any conditions other than absolute obligation. Explaining this is the purpose of this chapter.