inspired by planet a...would a quota system where both sexes are represented according to populous be a better

Question

way to govern? affirmative action in the congress? senate? house of representatives? would a system like that work?

why would you think i assume anything about women. we have a certain number of elected officials, what if half were women? we would still be electing them on the basis of platform.

no mr. diddy, i would never presume to put words in your mouth. bushrod said that i was assuming that any woman would represent my ideals. that is not the case.

further, i'd like to make it clear that these individuals would not be appointee's but elected officials.

lets say just for the sake of argument that we held seperate but simultaneous elections for the sexes. and rather than having one rep for each seat we had two. two governers, two congressmen, and so forth and so on, i think it would inspire more people to vote, and more candidates to run.

in response to your concerns about electing qualified reps, how could we do any worse? i'm not sure where you live, but i live in a place where an ex-cocaine using, mediocre businessman (and i think i'm being generous), war-mongering, cia agent exposing, pow torturing, bullying, spoiled little good ol' boy was elected to our most esteemed office based on who the voters would most like to have a beer with.

again i ask, how could we do any worse?

Answer 1

The topic of women in politics is on the agenda of many international, regional and local organizations. The emphasis so far has been on the number of women in politics and ways to increase their participation -- i.e. the quantitative aspects.

International IDEA's focus is not only on the quantitative aspects, but also on the qualitative impact of women on political decision-making. The Institute's objective is to improve and enhance women's effectiveness in political positions and to strengthen their impact in decision-making forums. Such forums include the cabinet; local, provincial and state assemblies; national parliaments; political parties; the judiciary; labour organizations; NG0s and the media.

International IDEA is in the process of compiling the most relevant information on women's participation in political structures and on mechanisms for enhancing women's political decision-making power. A series of "good practices" handbooks concerning women's participation in politics are planned.

In addition, to ensure that gender issues are squarely on the Institute's agenda, International IDEA is formulating an internal gender checklist to facilitate the mainstreaming of gender issues in all its programmes and policies. This project is discussed in the Applied Research section.


See "The World of Quota's"

"Rules are not enough. Whether a quota system reaches its objective depends largely on the process of implementation."

Given the slow speed by which the number of women in politics is growing, women everywhere are calling for more efficient methods to increase their representation. Quotas present one such mechanism. The introduction of quota systems for women represents a qualitative jump into a policy of exact goals and means. Because of its relative efficiency, the hope for dramatic increase in women's representation by using this system is strong. At the same time quotas raise serious questions and, in some cases, strong resistance. What are the arguments for and against the use of quotas? What are the best ways to implement quotas? What lessons can be learned from countries' experiences with quota systems? In the discussion that follows we hope to shed some light on this frequently debated mechanism for raising women's representation
http://archive.idea.int/women/parl/ch4c.htm

Countries where quotas for women have been written into the constitution or introduced through national legislation include the following:

Uganda
Argentina
Norway
Denmark
Sweden
Finland (?)

And the following in very teeny-tiny proportions - maybe more properly called 'token' representation:
India
Bangladesh
Eritrea
Tanzania
Jordan

Answer 2

I'm not sure about the constitutionality of this (at least if you live in the U.S.) as this is starting to sound akin to "separate but equal" elections for men and women. The way most modern democracies are set-up is that candidates run on platforms of ideas not gender/sex. Now we would be voting for people based upon what's inside their pants/what gender role they take on. How is that any better than voting for a white man simply because he is white? The idea behind voting for representatives is not that the representative best represents you physically or gender role wise but rather that they represent you best ideologically. What if no woman candidate who would best represent her constituency wishes to run? Then you're back to where you started from again. This is an all too common problem and not one that can be solved by quotas. Rio is also right you can't achieve 50/50 representation without suspending individual rights which, again if you are living in the U.S. or any country with a constitution, is probably not legal nor should it be.

Answer 3

No. Nor would I support such a system for race, though I have actually debated that very issue! The assumption that members of one's sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or age group would represent one's interests more effectively than members of another is specious and would only further polarize a country and lead to politicians who are not appointed to represent a given group feeling no obligation to even consider their concerns.

EDIT

I didn't say that you assume, though one would wonder what other rationale one had for the idea. And how is this to work? Whichever party wins, you find equal numbers of men and women? What if there aren't enough experienced candidates representing the platform of the particular party. (Think about someone as ill-qualified as Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed to have a conservative judge who was black.)

Also, the assumption that people vote for a platform rather than for a candidate is problematic in other ways. And on what other basis would you do this?

Answer 4

How could that work? It seems that you're assuming that all women have the same political outlook. Thats kinda sexist. Are you saying that Hilary Clinton and Ann Coulter are interchangable? Thats absurd. Wouldn't women be happier with Obama in office than Condoleeza Rice? You see what I'm saying?

Answer 5

Thanks for asking this question and to berewolf (above) for an interesting reply.

I personally don't think quotas are necessary in the USA---women here already have footholds in politics. But for some other counties where women don't, quotas sure are an interesting thing to watch and see how it's working out.

Answer 6

50% representation in all things would be nice, but you can't achieve that without suspending some individual rights. I still believe on election based on merit.

Answer 7

Do the math on it........if You could ever finalize the figures.