RepresentWomen is committed to researching and identifying the best practices for increasing women’s representation in politics, drawing from evidence around the world. Part of this work leads us to track parliamentary elections and compare regional outcomes closely. We then identify the common trends impacting women’s representation, informing our U.S.-based work. This brief brings attention to how election rules and voting systems shape opportunities for women to enter politics within the European Union.

Executive Summary:

Women's political representation varies immensely across the 27 countries that are part of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. 

The differences in representation between these countries helps to show that, while systems such as proportional representation and gender quotas play a vital role in shaping opportunities for women to enter politics, specific cultural, societal, and political factors may yeild different outcomes. Importantly, system strategies have been shown to have the most impact when they are implemented in tandem and matched by the political will to uphold women’s political power and representation.

 In short, we find that: 

1. The European Union, overall, can do better in enforcing its own policies regarding women's political advancement. Although the EU is committed to women's representation, some member states, including Cyprus and Hungary, continue to have less than 20% women's representation in their assemblies. 
2. List proportional representation (List PR) systems work best when combined with gender quotas. Of the countries with high levels of women's representation (above 30%), 16 use List PR and have some form of gender quotas (either legislated or voluntary) to boost women's representation. 
3. Countries with proportional (PR) systems have the highest levels of women's political representation. Overall, EU member states have higher levels of women's political representation than other countries; nearly all countries in the EU use either a proportional or semi-proportional voting system, with the exception of France, which makes up for this difference by combining its two-round system with a legislated candidate gender quota to help achieve better representation for women. 

Gender quotas have uniquely defined Latin American politics since their conception. In 1991, Argentina became the first country in the world to adopt legislative gender quotas. Soon after, other countries in Latin America and around the world began to do the same. Of the five countries in the world that have achieved gender parity in their legislatures, three are in Latin America. Whether due to the fact that they were among the first to embrace gender quotas or because of other underlying factors, it is clear that the region has many success stories when it comes to women's representation. 

Yet, that is not to say that every country in this region is succeeding at achieving gender-balanced governance. There is great diversity in performance on women's representation in Latin America, which hints that gender quotas, though helpful, may not be the only solution needed to achieve gender parity. 

This brief analyzes trends in Latin America, defined by 19 countries located in Central and South America, to: 

• Determine what factors support or hinder a country's journey to gender parity.
• Guide the United States in its own journey to achieve parity. 

Over half (55%) of Arab states ensure women's representation through gender quotas (mostly reserved seats). Our research indicates that women in countries with gender quotas are better represented by women than they are in countries without quotas. But even in countries that have achieved higher levels of representation, more needs to be done to ensure that women have meaningful opportunities to lead. To learn more about the status of women's representation in Arab states, refer to our full brief.