Quotas and gender disparity among senior parliamentarians

This paper aims to analyse how different features of quota regulation propel women and men – either similarly or differently – into the senior ranks of parliamentarians. Existing research has shown that women constitute a small share of those in parliament with the most privilege, i.e. the senior members. While we know that quotas secure increased descriptive representation of women in parliament, we are interested in understanding how and if different types of quotas, either voluntary or legislated, enforced or not, shape the observed gender disparity in seniority. We study how quotas affect gender disparity among senior parliamentarians representing different parties from 1965 until today with individual level data from 12 advanced Western democracies. As such, we are contributing to both the literature on gender disparities in seniority, institutional level determinants of such seniority, and the literature on the effects of quota regulation.