Globally, women are under-represented in leadership positions within political parties, even though they represent between 40 and 50 percent of political party membership worldwide, according to 2012 data. Factors hindering women from advancing their political careers can include discriminatory attitudes of political party members, exclusion from masculinized internal power structures and information networks, limited financial resources and lack of reconciliation of professional and family life, among other issues. Aiming to increase the internal participation of women, political parties around the world have adopted multifold strategies, including quotas at all levels, especially in governing boards, executive committees and other decision-making platforms.[1]

Example: In Botswana, the constitutions of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Botswana National Front (BNF) contain provisions for a 30 percent quota for women in their central committees, and regional and local structures.[2]

Example: Cambodia’s Sam Rainsy Party and Australia’s Labor Party adopted internal quotas to ensure women’s representation in some or all of their governing boards.[3]

Example: In Morocco, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) has internal quotas for each local branch, which has helped foster women’s inclusion at all levels of the party.[4]

Example: In Mexico, the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) was one of the first parties to adopt a 20 percent internal quota in 1990, which was later raised to 30 per cent. It was followed by the National Action Party (PAN), which adopted an internal party quota for women on governing boards and in the executive committee.[5]

Example: In India, the Bhatariya Janata Party (BJP) amended its constitution in 2008 to reserve 33 percent of the party’s leadership positions for women and make the chief of the national women’s branch a member of the party’s central election committee.[6]

Example: In Germany, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) adopted a 33 percent quota for party officials in 1996. If this quota is not met, internal elections must be repeated.[7]

Example: In South Africa, the constitution of the African National Congress (ANC) states that the party will implement a program of affirmative action to ensure full representation of women in decision-making structures, including a quota of at least 50 percent of women in all elected bodies.[8]

Example: In the United States of America, the Democratic Party adopted rules for the participation of women as delegates at national nomination conventions. As a result of internal lobbying and support of party leaders, the party’s charter requires an equal number of women and men among nominating convention delegates.[9]