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Quotas for Men: Reframing Gender Quotas as a Means of Improving Representation for All

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  • MURRAY, RAINBOW

Abstract

Gender quotas traditionally focus on the underrepresentation of women. Conceiving of quotas in this way perpetuates the status of men as the norm and women as the “other.” Women are subject to heavy scrutiny of their qualifications and competence, whereas men's credentials go unchallenged. This article calls for a normative shift in the problem of overrepresentation, arguing that the quality of representation is negatively affected by having too large a group drawn from too narrow a talent pool. Curbing overrepresentation through ceiling quotas for men offers three core benefits. First, it promotes meritocracy by ensuring the proper scrutiny of politicians of both sexes. Second, it provides an impetus for improving the criteria used to select and evaluate politicians. Third, neutralizing the overly masculinized environment within parliaments might facilitate better substantive and symbolic representation of both men and women. All citizens would benefit from these measures to increase the quality of representation.

Suggested Citation

  • Murray, Rainbow, 2014. "Quotas for Men: Reframing Gender Quotas as a Means of Improving Representation for All," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 108(3), pages 520-532, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:108:y:2014:i:03:p:520-532_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Liyaning (Maggie) Tang & Shaleeza Sohail & Emma Shorthouse & Larissa Sullivan & Matthew Williams, 2022. "Put Gender on the Tender in Australian Public Projects," World, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-11, September.
    2. Natalie Galea & Louise Chappell, 2022. "Male‐dominated workplaces and the power of masculine privilege: A comparison of the Australian political and construction sectors," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1692-1711, September.
    3. Nzabonimpa, Mélyne, 2023. "Gender differences in politician persistence and incumbency advantage," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    4. Kim, Jessica & Fallon, Kathleen M., 2023. "Making Women Visible: How Gender Quotas Shape Global Attitudes toward Women in Politics," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 19(4), pages 981-1006.
    5. Seungwoo Han, 2024. "Elite Politics, Mass Discontent and Political Inequality in South Korea: Who Represents Me?," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, November.
    6. Clayton, Amanda & Tang, Belinda, 2018. "How women’s incumbency affects future elections: Evidence from a policy experiment in Lesotho," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 385-393.

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