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When Ethnicity Beats Gender: Quotas and Political Representation in Rwanda and Burundi

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  • Andrea Guariso
  • Bert Ingelaere
  • Marijke Verpoorten

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Guariso & Bert Ingelaere & Marijke Verpoorten, 2018. "When Ethnicity Beats Gender: Quotas and Political Representation in Rwanda and Burundi," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 49(6), pages 1361-1391, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:49:y:2018:i:6:p:1361-1391
    DOI: 10.1111/dech.12451
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    1. Daniel Stockemer & Michael J Wigginton, 2022. "The gender gap in voting in post-conflict elections: Evidence from Israel, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 39(1), pages 74-96, January.

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