Who becomes a politician in a gender quota system? Evidence from India

Broad representation and competent leaders are both important factors when selecting representatives in a democracy. While gender quotas aim for the equal representation of genders, it is a challenge for non-elite women to become politicians in the context of elite dominance. In such cases, equal representation between social classes may be impeded. Gender quotas may also make the selection of competent leaders difficult if the number of qualified women is limited and if the opportunity cost of becoming a politician is high for such women. This study explores the random assignment of gender quotas across villages in India to examine the impact of gender quotas on the broadness of representation and the competence of candidates. We conducted a field survey in villages and collected information about cognitive and non-cognitive skills and the socioeconomic backgrounds of the voters and candidates in local elections. We find that female candidates with higher cognitive skills are more positively selected among voters compared to male candidates, while households with less leadership experience can participate in elections as candidates in a gender quota system. These results suggest that the quota system could have the potential to promote broad political participation and encourage meritocratic candidate selection.