20211008 Gender Quotas - Pros, Cons, Pitfalls Image 01

Gender Quotas: Pros, Cons, Pitfalls

Local elections in Ukraine took place in 2020. These elections were unique due to gender quotas introduced in the election legislation. Experts and panellists at the KSE conference “Gender quotas: Pros, cons, pitfalls” discuss:

  • To what extent gender quotas were efficient?
  • Did more women win seats in local councils?
  • Did all parties comply with the new norm? 

On the one hand, the analysis shows the success of women in elections to regional councils. Compared to 2015, the share of women winners in regional councils has doubled from 14% to 28%. At the same time, the electoral system still creates obstacles for women candidates. In the village and rural councils, on the other hand, the share of women decreased from 46% and 55% to 37% and 41%, respectively.

Discussants of the future of gender quotas in Ukrainian politics: 

  • Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Member of the European Parliament
  • Liliana Palihovici, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender 
  • Natia Jikia, Deputy Director of NDI Ukraine
  • Olena Ivanchenko, Head of Regional Office for Kyiv Oblast at ULEAD 
  • Yevhenia Kravchenko, Khotiv council 
  • Yuliia Horodchanina, Poltava city council 
  • Iryna Yaremchuk, Ukrainian Galician Party, Chairman of the Ternopil City Organization 

Moderators: 

  • Tymofii Brik, Head of the center of sociological research, decentralization, and local development in KSE 
  • Iryna Tyshko,  Gender expert and Co-founder of the Public Alliance “Political action of women” and of the #electionsWITHOUTsexism project.