JenniferCurtin and Kelly Sexton, Selecting and Electing Women

Discussions of the political representation of women have increasingly recognised the importance of political parties in the equality equation. While there can be no doubt that the choice of electoral system matters to women’s representation, it is also clear that proportional representation cannot be seen as the end point to achieving gender equality in national and sub-national parliaments. Electoral system change (from majoritarian to proportional representation) is unusual in modern democratic states. Moreover, no electoral system can be understood “in isolation from the political system of which it is a part ” (Butler 1981, 8). So, while a particular electoral system may determine the coherence, structure and number of parties that compete, the characteristics, behaviour and strategic choices of these political parties may in turn determine the extent to which gendered representation is institutionalised within the parliamentary arena. In an effort to explore further the relationship between the electoral system, political parties and the institutionalisation of gender equality in politics, this paper considers the recent impact of the Australian Labor Party’s quota on women’