Parties, Gender Quotas and Candidate Selection in France

Gender quotas are a growing worldwide phenomenon, yet their political implications remain under-researched. Using the prominent case study of France, which has the world's highest quota (fifty percent, or 'parity') but low proportions of women in its parliament, Rainbow Murray looks at quotas from the perspective of the key actors responsible for them - political parties.

Parity in France has posed many riddles: its implementation has varied across parties and elections and over time, and French parties pay millions of euros each year in fines for neglecting to implement a gender quota that they themselves introduced. Using original data and insights, this book solves these riddles through a framework based on the parties' underlying motivations. By placing quotas within the broader context of party strategy and candidate selection processes, Parties, Gender Quotas and Candidate Selection in France demonstrates how quotas present conflicting interests for political parties which shape their behaviour when introducing, implementing and - on occasion - undermining gender quotas.