Improving the gender parity in the Spanish Congress of Representatives

Authors

  • Victoriano Ramírez González Universidad de Granada
  • Adolfo López Carmona Universidad de Granada

Keywords:

Gender quotas, parity, electoral system, zipper lists

Abstract

This paper is aimed at analysing the current low level of gender parity representation to Spanish Congress of Representatives along the 11 general elections. To achieve parity with the current legislation depends on the will of the political parties. It is set out as alternative the method of triple zipper applied to the closed and blocked lists, and it is shown the effect that this method would had in all the general elections. The triple zipper requires that each party heads the half of its lists with a given gender and the other half with the opposite gender, and in each constituency the half of the parties heads their lists with a gender and the other half with the opposite one. Thereby a high parliamentary gender parity is achieved, but it limits the decision-making power of parties in the elaboration of their lists.

Author Biographies

Victoriano Ramírez González, Universidad de Granada

Catedrático de Matemática Aplicada. Su principal línea de investigación es el análisis y diseño de sistemas electorales. Entre sus publicaciones más destacadas: “Mexico’s 1997 apportionment defies its electoral law” (1999), Electoral Studies; “The Spanish electoral system: proportionality and governability” (1998), Annals of Operation Research; “El tamaño de las circunscripciones para el congreso” (2005), Revista de Derecho Político; “Limitaciones constitucionales que afectan a la elección del Congreso de los Diputados: posible modificación del artículo 68 de la Constitución y reparto a dos niveles” (2006), Revista de Derecho Político; “A un sistema electoral ecuánime para el Congreso de los Diputados” (2010), Revista Española de Ciencia Política.

Adolfo López Carmona, Universidad de Granada

Licenciado en Ciencias Políticas y Sociología por la Universidad de Granada. Becario FPU (2010-2014) del Departamento de Matemática Aplicada de la Universidad de Granada. Su principal área de investigación es el análisis y diseño de sistemas electorales. Entre sus publicaciones más destacadas: “Aplicación de escaños compensatorios para una representación justa de los partidos” (2013), Revista Española de Ciencia Política; “Ensuring Parliamentary Gender Equality Through a New Zipper Method: An Application to Finland” (2013), Social Indicators Research; “Evaluation and possible improvements of the S wedish electoral system” (2013), Annals Operations Research.

Published

2015-01-01

How to Cite

Ramírez González, V., & López Carmona, A. (2015). Improving the gender parity in the Spanish Congress of Representatives. Spanish Journal of Sociology, (23). Retrieved from https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/res/article/view/65375

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