In a narrow sense, gender quotas are a type of equality measure that requires nominating bodies (in most political systems, political parties) to select, candidate, or nominate a certain number or proportion of women for various political bodies or positions. In this sense, it is often seen as a “fast track” to gender equality in politics, as an improvement toward gender equality in this area has proven too slow (Dahlerup, 2006, 6).

This can be done by setting a certain proportion (percentage) or number of seats or places to be filled by or allocated to women and/or men, generally according to certain rules or criteria (EIGE). They can be set in the form of a “critical minimum,” e.g., 20, 30, or 40 percent, or 50:50. In this sense the term “parity” (parité) is also often used in the context of gender quotas. French authors define parity as requiring that no less than 50 percent of candidacies should come from women (EU Parliament Research Service).

Quotas can be either...