In recent years, several countries have adopted measures such ascandidate gender quotas to increase women’s presence in electoralpolitics. France adopted gender parity reforms – laws toensure equal access to elected office for women and men – in1999 and 2000. Have these reforms had a positive effect onwomen’s political representation?In Parity Democracy, Jocelyne Praud and Sandrine Dauphinanswer this question by tracing the evolution of France’s genderparity reforms, from their historical roots to their recent extensionbeyond the electoral sphere. They combine analysis of women’shistorical struggle to acquire and exercise political rights, interviews with parity advocates and opponents, and translations of keyEuropean and French legal documents. This unique blend ofinterpretation, open-ended interviews, and primary documents offers awell-rounded perspective on the pros and cons of the parity reforms andtheir effect on women in politics. Although parity reforms have not dramatically boosted women’srepresentation in the National Assembly, this book reveals that theyhave set in motion a process of feminization in the electoral spherethat bodes well for the future of parity democracy. | Parity Democracy by Jocelyne Praud, Paperback | Indigo Chapters