Kara Ellerby University of Delaware There’s No Gender in Gender Quotas: Reframing Women’s Inclusion in Government Kara Ellerby University of Delaware

Women’s Representation as Gender Equality? Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls UN: “Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

More Women in Government over one-hundred countries has some sort of quota to promote more women in government. The number of all-male cabinets has declined from 70% in 1979 to about 17% in 2009 (Jacob et al 2013).

But…

Add-Gender-and-Stir Why is there such a discrepancy, despite a global focus on women’s representation as a key aspect of global gender equality? Global Add-Gender-And- Stir Campaign Gender = Women (What is a gender quota?) Gender has become a technocratic shortcut labeling any policy or practice to add women to exclusionary institutions as “gender equality.” Ultimately, When gender and women are treated as interchangeable terms, gender loses its analytical force and becomes just another variable to plug in or control for. When gender and women are interchangeable terms, gender becomes a technocratic shortcut: a way to acknowledge, measure and address women’s subordination without the complex feminist discussions regarding why (many) women are subordinated and (many) men dominate. Gender-as-shortcut dodges and muddles how gender roles and binaries shape people, institutions, policies, and thus politics. This leaves researchers and practitioners to “connect the dots” between particular narratives or variables and gender as an explanation. Without this discussion of feminist (analytical) gender, gender itself becomes an essentialized measure primarily meaning women. It is a way to acknowledge power without discussing the production of power This technocratic gender shortcut also serves as an instrumentalist tool for governments and global institutions seeking to improve governance and economies. What this means is that women are included—via quotas, employment laws and the criminalization of violence—as a means to a more stable, prosperous and peaceful world. But including women to improve governance and economics actually relies upon and perpetuates tired gender tropes in the process. Ultimately, the very processes meant to emancipate women and promote gender equality actually reinforce women’s subordination by leaving sexist institutions in place. When institutions and scholars use the “gender shortcut,” it is a way of acknowledging power without actually discussing the production of power. But without a discussion of how gender produces particular forms of power, women’s subordination (and many other marginalized groups) will not radically change.

Problem 1: Informal Barriers and Bounded Agency Women’s representation higher if: insulted from popular vote occupy positions of lower power and prestige already women in other branches better connected than nearly everyone else Disruption to status quo

Problem 2: Gendered Binaries Women over-represented in ‘feminine’ ministries ‘Competency’ deficits Less homosocial political capital (networks and experience)

Problem 3: Which women? Intersectionality is missing… Elite women rule racially marginalized women under-represented ethnic quotas detract from sex quotas

Women Are “Good Governance” and “Smart Economics” These policies actually reinforce gendered binaries and (neo)liberal world order because women are being included as women to serve a purpose Women are Good Governance Women are: “selfless,” “community-oriented,” “less corrupt(able),” “bridge builders” Separate political empowerment from economic/social empowerment and redistribution; essentializes women

There are no ‘shortcuts’ One can include women, challenge male domination and allude to power dynamics while still maintaining belief systems that women (and other marginalized groups) are different, inferior, incompetent, incapable and undeserving As long as women are promoted as women then gender remains a powerful force is shaping their inclusion Women’s inclusion is necessary, but not sufficient to challenging a kyriarchical world system that perpetuates binary thinking about a host of powerful social identifiers such as gender, race, class, sexuality and geography.