Party and legal quotas in Spain. Examining parity

Abstract

The article examines the factors that support a glass ceiling for women in politics, especially at the local level, and, by extension, in political life, focusing on the demand factors, in particular the predominant organizational culture within political parties. To do so we analyse the application of legal parity in the 2007 local elections, the first elections held after the
introduction of a quota which grants a minimum of 40 per cent and a maximum of 60 per cent to either sex. Given the large amount of candidatures presented throughout the state, this research focuses on Catalan municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants where the quota was enforced. The existence of parties with internal quotas and parties that have not adopted them allows us to test whether legally imposed parity blurs differences between both groups in relation to women’s representation.