Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT This article examines the impact of electoral gender quotas in post‐war Burundi and Rwanda on women's political representation. First, it looks at the evolution in descriptive representation by studying the number of female representatives and the prestige of their positions in the legislative and executive branches of government. The results show that, in both Rwanda and Burundi, the number of female political representatives significantly increased with the introduction of gender quotas, with their presence in parliament and ministries consistently exceeding 30 per cent. While women disproportionally end up in ministries of relatively lower prestige, the gap with men has been closing over time, as more women have joined the executive branches of power. The study considers whether such an increase has been accompanied by a positive evolution in the way ordinary women perceive their political representation. Despite a general improvement in perceived political representation across the population, the article finds there is not a significant difference between women and men and the study explains this finding by analysing the intersectionality of ethnicity and gender.
Source: Development and Change
DOI: 10.1111/dech.12451
Language: English
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: The impact of mass violence and post-conflict recovery on social mobility. Exploring the nature and underlying drivers of social transformation in Rwanda and Burundi., The impact of mass violence and post-conflict recovery on social mobility. Exploring the nature and underlying drivers of social transformation in Rwanda and Burundi. Fieldwork in Burundi., An economic analysis of the links between armed conflicts, female political empowerment and development.
OpenAlex ID: W2893407252