Here in the U.S. “quotas” has become a dirty word especially with affirmative action being challenged in both the academic world and in the job market. Today I was surprised to read that countries around the world have gender quota laws on the books to ensure parity within their governments.

50 countries have adopted quota laws.
Eleven of those are in Latin America. Roughly half of those countries, she said, have passed measures to ensure that women not only make up a guaranteed percentage of candidates, but that women are not placed at the ends of electoral lists.
The countries with the most progressive laws include Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia, which is the only country with a quota law for the executive branch and requires 30 percent female representation in high-ranking, decision-making posts in all state agencies.
Beginning in 1991 with Argentina, 11 Latin American countries adopted quota laws during the 1990s.
Colombia adopted a quota law in 2000. That same year Venezuela revoked its 1997 law, after the nation’s high court declared it unconstitutional. Venezuela’s quota law had applied only to the 1998 election, during which the presence of women in Congress increased to 12 percent from 6 percent. Following the court decision, female representation dropped to around 10 percent.
Most quota laws in the region set their minimum at 30 percent overall representation, combining upper and lower houses. Paraguay calls for 20 percent, Costa Rica for 40 percent.

While Chile voted in their first female president, Michelle Bachelet, who has pushed female friendly legislation like access to the morning after pill, female representation within the legislative branch of the Southern Cone nation leaves much to be desired.

Chile ranks No. 72 in the world on female legislative representation. Within Latin America, the country is 14 out of 18 in the ranking.
In January the Chamber of Deputies’ Commission on the Family began to hold hearings on a gender quota bill that the ruling left-wing coalition in October revived after four years of inaction.The bill requires political parties to ensure that at least 40 percent of their candidates–from the federal to municipal level–are female. It also modifies various electoral laws to allow the disqualification of a party that doesn’t field enough female candidates.

I didn’t even know that such laws could exist but I must say I think its a good attempt at leveling an uneven playing field when it comes to politics. Such laws, however, open the floodgates for other quota laws say for example, racial representation (which in my opinion isn’t a bad thing). Given the current backlash against affirmative action here in the U.S. I doubt that such a law would ever even get debated here.

What do you all think about such legislation?

Via / Women’s ENews