Parity Sanctions and Campaign Financing in France:Increased Numbers, Little Concrete Gender Transformation

This chapter examines how parity sanctions targeted at the major political parties since 2002 have impacted gendered processes of nomination. It also investigates how gender plays a role in individual decisions to seek nomination and run for office with a focus on whether the most recent increase in parity sanctions in the 2017 elections matter for promoting gender equality. While financial sanctions played a role in increasing the number of female candidates, especially for left-wing and small political parties, we argue that the massive increase in women’s presence in the 2017 election cycle is mostly due to other factors, like the radical changes in the political party system in 2017. The chapter first highlights the context for parity reform debates and the implementation set by general campaign financing regulation and electoral reforms. Next, it assesses the relative effects of the financial sanctions as compared to other electoral reforms and other important changes in the political landscape. In the last section, we apply a more micro-sociological analysis to the three constituencies to examine campaign financing and recruitment processes in the 2017 elections. The conclusion discusses the implications of this study for gender equality in political life in France