Comp. by: G.Barath Stage : Proof ChapterID: 0003789754 Date:18/5/18 Time:08:48:32 Filepath:D:/BgPr/OUP_CAP/IN/Process1/0003789754.3d Dictionary : OUP_UKdictionary 1 1 The Participatory Turn in Gender Equality and its Relevance for Multicultural Feminism Will Kymlicka and Ruth Rubio-Marín Gender quotas have become the new preferred tool to promote women’s equal participation in decision-making bodies in the political sphere, part of a world- wide trend to enhance women’s empowerment starting in the mid-1990s. According to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as many as eighty-six countries have now introduced electoral gender quotas in their constitution or electoral law. This trend is not limited to established Western democracies, but also includes countries in post-conflict settings (with international organi- zations often providing the expertise), and countries with strong patriarchal traditions and weak democratic credentials seeking ‘fast tracking’ (Dahlerup and Freidenwall 2005). Gender quotas are now found in countries in all regions of the world, with the pace of adoption of such quotas accelerating rapidly. These quotas are not just spreading around the world, but are becoming more deeply embedded within the political life of countries. These gender quotas are not simply temporary measures that will fade with time. Few countries have moved away from gender quotas once enacted. On the con- trary, the tendency is for those quotas to both become more stringent, and to apply to wider spectrum of power relations. Since 2000, the trend seems to be to require higher standards: earlier 30 per cent targets, based on ideas of a ‘minimum threshold’ or ‘critical mass’, are being replaced by more ambitious goals, based on ideas of ‘balanced participation’ (often expressed as no more than a 60/40 disparity between the sexes) and ‘equal representation’ or ‘parity’ (50/50 of each sex). Moreover, the domains in which quotas are applied are gradually expanding to include sites of state power beyond parliaments, reaching all those positions of decision-making intrinsic to the legislative, executive, and judicial state powers. Likewise, women’s participation in non- state domains of authority has also received attention. These domains include OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – FIRST PROOF, 18/5/2018, SPi