Gender quotas and the substantive representation of women in African politics : case studies of Botswana and South Africa

Abstract

The global adoption of gender quotas to facilitate women’s participation in the political system has garnered attention beyond its initial objective. Although divided, most studies argue that the objective of quota to ensure the participation of women in politics has been achieved. While the other spectrum of the divide notes that for quotas to be deemed effective, they must contribute to transforming the political agenda. The transformation of the agenda must be such that the interests of women are duly protected within decision-making structures. This notion finds expression in the assumption that an increased number of women in politics (descriptive women’s representation) will foster the protection of women’s interests (substantive women’s representation). Therefore, this study examined the relevance of gender quotas beyond its initial goal of mainstreaming women into politics into how it enables the substantive representation of women in African politics. Using South Africa and Botswana, two countries with different percentages of female Members of Parliament (MPs), this study embarked on a multiple case study analysis to interrogate how the presence of women in parliament influences legislative and policy outcomes on gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). The study employed a qualitative methodology as its approach of enquiry, a multiple case study as its research design, semi-structured interviews and legislative/policy outcomes on GBVF as its methods of data collection. Interpretative phenomenological analysis and thematic analysis were used as the two analytical frameworks to answer the research questions on the relationship between numbers and impact. The theory of the politics of presence and relational feminism were selected to provide theoretical foundation for the arguments made in the study; specifically, why it is necessary for women to represent women and how their presence creates impact. The study found that the adoption of gender quotas by some political parties in South Africa especially the African National Congress significantly increased the number of women in parliament, but that Botswana is struggling in this regard. Due to their numbers in parliament, female MPs in Botswana and South Africa were able to form alliances to influence legislations and policies passed on GBVF. The study also discovered that there is a disconnect between the perception of impact by female MPs and women working in civil society organisations. In light of this, the study recommends that awareness should be created on the work that female MPs do in parliament to keep women updated on how their interests are being protected. Secondly, it recommends that the governing party in Botswana should adopt a quota system to significantly boost women’s representation in parliament, which further impacts the holistic representation of women in the country. And lastly, it suggests that other measures be implemented to reduce the burden on female MPs to ensure the substantive representation of women. This will allow for women’s interests to be included in the larger political agenda and be advocated for by all parliamentarians.