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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.