Cambridge Studies in Law and Society: Transforming Gender Citizenship: The Irresistible Rise of Gender Quotas in Europe

Gender quotas are a controversial policy measure. However, over the past twenty years they have been widely adopted around the world and especially in Europe. They are now used in politics, corporate boards, state and local public administration and even in civil society organizations. This book explores this unprecedented phenomenon, providing a unique comparative perspective on gender quotas' adoption across thirteen European countries. It also studies resistance to gender quotas by political parties and supreme courts. Providing up-to-date comprehensive data on gender quotas regulations, Transforming Gender Citizenship proposes a typology of countries, from those which have embraced gender quotas as a new way to promote gender equality in all spheres of social life, to those who have consistently refused gender quotas as a tool for gender equality. Reflecting on divergences and commonalities across Europe, the authors analyze how gender quotas may transform dominant conception of citizenship and gender equality.

Introduction: completing the unfinished task? Gender quotas and the ongoing struggle for women's empowerment in Europe Eleonore Lepinard and Ruth Rubio Marin; Part I. Gender Quotas as Transformative Equality Remedies: 1. Gender quotas in Belgium: consolidating the citizenship model while challenging the conception of gender equality Petra Meier; 2. The French parity reform: the never-ending quest for a new gender equality principle Eleonore Lepinard; 3. The role of gender quotas in establishing the Slovene citizenship model: from gender blind to gender sensitive Milica Antic Gaber and Irena Selisnik; 4. Gender quotas in Spain: broad coverage, uneven treatment Tania Verge and Emanuela Lombardo; Part II. Gender Quotas as Symbolic Equality Remedies: 5. The protracted struggle for gender quotas in Greek politics: constitutional reform and feminist mobilization in the EU context Dia Anagnostou; 6. Eppur si muove: the tortuous adoption and implementation of gender quotas in conservative Italy Alessia Dona; 7. From electoral to corporate board quotas: the case of Portugal Ana Espirito-Santo; 8. Gender quotas and women's solidarity as a challenge to the gender regime in Poland Anna Sledzinska-Simon; Part III. Gender Quotas as Corrective Equality Remedies: 9. Quota contagion in Germany: diffusion, derailment, and the quest for parity democracy Sabine Lang; 10. The Austrian paradox: the challenges to transform a conservative gender regime Nora Gresch and Birgit Sauer; Part IV. Gender Quotas as Accessory Equality Measures: 11. The 'natural' prolongation of the Norwegian gender equality policy institution Mari Teigen; 12. Gender equality without legislated quotas in Sweden Lenita Freidenvall; 13. Gender equality without gender quotas: dilemmas in the Danish approach to gender equality and citizenship Lise Rolandsen Agustin, Birte Siim and Anette Borchorst; Conclusion. Assessing the transformative potential of gender quotas for gender equality and democratic citizenship Eleonore Lepinard and Ruth Rubio Marin.