Abstract
Belgium was the first country in the world to impose strict gender quotas by law for all electoral levels. The initial minimum 25% gender quotas evolved over time into a 50% gender quota, accompanied by a form of placement mandate and by relatively efficient sanctions. Because candidate lists not respecting the quotas are not allowed to compete in elections, the gender quota rules were turned into a practice almost overnight. Nonetheless, it took a while before the number of female representatives increased. Part of the course of this evolution can be ascribed to features of the electoral system, but not all of it. Therefore, this chapter digs deeper into the implementation of the Belgian gender quotas, paying particular attention to how quotas were implemented by political parties acting as central gatekeepers in the recruitment and selection process. Based on a study of party statutes, as well as more than 50 interviews with party officials from all major Belgian parties at two moments in time, it assesses to what extent and how gender quotas became integrated in the recruitment and selection practices and routines of political parties. As the Belgian gender quotas are formulated in such a way that they must be applied, the question is to what extent the implementation of these gender quotas is something considered to be important by political parties, reflected upon, and eventually connected to and put in relation with other initiatives, measures or policies, or just a condition to fulfil.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bjarnegård, E., & Kenny, M. (2015). Revealing the “secret garden”: The informal dimensions of political recruitment. Politics & Gender, 11(4), 748–753.
Bjarnegård, E., & Zetterberg, P. (2011). Removing quotas, maintaining representation: Overcoming gender inequalities in political party recruitment. Representation, 47(2), 187–199.
Celis, K., & Meier, P. (2006). De Macht van het Geslacht. Acco.
Celis, K., Erzeel, S., & Mügge, L. (2015). Intersectional puzzles: Understanding inclusion and equality in political recruitment. Politics & Gender, 11(4), 765–770.
Craeghs, J., & Dewachter, W. (1995). Vrouwen verkozen. Een eerste onderzoek naar de betekenis van de evenredige vertegenwoordiging, de hoofdvakstem en de plaatsvervanging. KU Leuven.
Devroe, R., Erzeel, S., & Meier, P. (2020). The feminization of Belgian local party politics. Politics of the Low Countries, 2(2), 169–191.
Erzeel, S., & Caluwaerts, D. (2013). Hoe parlementsleden denken over de legitimiteit van genderquota: Een Europese vergelijking. Res Publica, 55(3), 321–338.
Erzeel, S., & Meier, P. (2011). Is er iets veranderd? De rekrutering en selectie van kandidaten door Belgische partijen na de invoering van quotawetten. Tijdschrift Voor Genderstudies, 14(2), 6–19.
Erzeel, S., & Vandeleene, A. (2017). La professionalisation des partis politiques en Belgique: Vers l’intégration de la dimension de genre. In D. Paternotte & P. Meier (Eds.), La professionalisation des luttes pour l’égalité: Enjeux théoriques et politiques (pp. 191–211). Academia/L’Harmattan.
Hondeghem, A., & Nelen, S. (2000). Een beleid op weg: Situering van het gelijkekansenbeleid in België. Tijdschrift Voor Genderstudies, 3(1), 36–48.
Hooghe, M., Noppe, J., & Maddens, B. (2003). The effect of electoral reform on the Belgian election results of 18 May 2003. Representation, 39(4), 270–276.
Institute for the Equality of Women and Men. (n.y., December 22). Aanwezigheid van vrouwen in de Belgische wetgevende en uitvoerende instellingen. https://igvm-iefh.belgium.be/nl/activiteiten/politiek/cijfers
Kenny, M. (2013). Gender and political recruitment: Theorizing institutional change. Palgrave.
Kittilson, M. C. (2006). Challenging parties, changing parliaments: Women and elected office in contemporary Western Europe. Ohio State University Press.
Krook, M. L. (2009). Quotas for women in politics: Gender and candidate selection reform worldwide. Oxford University Press.
Krook, M. L. (2010). Women’s representation in parliament: A qualitative comparative analysis. Political Studies, 58(5), 886–908.
Matland, R. (1993). Institutional variables affecting female representation in national legislatures: The case of Norway. The Journal of Politics, 55(3), 737–755.
Meier, P. (2008). A gender gap not closed by Quotas: The renegotiation of the public sphere. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 10(3), 329–347.
Meier, P. (2012). From laggard to leader: Explaining the Belgian gender quotas and parity clause. West European Politics, 35(2), 362–379.
Meier, P., Erzeel, S., Lloren, A., & Rihoux, B. (2006). Belgische partijen en seksegelijkheid. Een trage maar gestage evolutie? IGVM.
Murray, R. (2015). What makes a good politician? Reassessing the criteria used for political recruitment. Politics & Gender, 11(4), 770–776.
Put, G.-J., & Maddens, B. (2013). The selection of candidates for eligible positions on PR lists: The Belgian/Flemish federal elections 1999–2010. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 23(1), 49–65.
Sliwa, S., Meier, P., & Thijssen, P. (2011). De impact van party magnitude op het aantal vrouwelijke verkozenen: Gender quota in België kritisch bekeken. Res Publica, 52(2), 141–165.
Vandeleene, A. (2014). Gender quotas and ‘women-friendly’ candidate selection: Evidence from Belgium. Representation, 50(3), 337–349.
Vandeleene, A. (2016). Does candidate selection matter? A comparative analysis of Belgian political parties’ selection procedures and their relation to the candidates’ profile. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. UCL.
Van Liefferinge, H., & Steyvers, K. (2009). Family matters? Degrees of family politicization in political recruitment and career start of mayors in Belgium. Acta Politica, 44(2), 125–149.
Van Molle, L., & Gubin, E. (1998). Vrouw en Politiek in België. Lannoo.
Verzele, V., & Joly, C. (1999). La représentation des femmes en politique après les élections du 13 juin 1999. CRISP.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Erzeel, S., Meier, P., Vandeleene, A. (2023). 25 Years of Gender Quotas, Still a Man’s World? Implementation in the Belgian Case. In: Lang, S., Meier, P., Sauer, B. (eds) Party Politics and the Implementation of Gender Quotas. Gender and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08931-2_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08931-2_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-08930-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-08931-2
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)