Gender Quotas in South America’s Big Three paints a richly detailed portrait of gender quotas at the national and subnational levels in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru, describing their adoption and implementation. . . . Overall, Gender Quotasprovides a useful overview of the literature on quotas for readers unfamiliar with the topic; it offers a rich description of the electoral systems and gender quotas used in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru; and empirically documents the numbers of women in positions of political influence across these countries.

Perspectives on Politics

This volume offers fresh perspectives on critical questions in the study of gender quotas. It explores the impact of quotas on women's election in three important Latin American countries, the diffusion of quota laws across Argentine provinces, the varied impact of quotas and ballot structure at the subnational level in Peru, the puzzle of why Brazil's quota laws produced only a minimal impact on numbers of women elected, and the related puzzle of why women have fared better than expected under open list proportional representation in Peru. The book provides an essential guide to the complexities of women's political representation for a broad audience including scholars, activists, policy makers, and students.

Mala Htun, University of New Mexico

This book is a welcome contribution to the gender quotas literature, providing important insights on the role of electoral institutions, party dynamics, and political leaders in the success and failure of gender quotas. By exploring the dynamics of gender quotas in these three countries in national and subnational contexts, the authors provide a complex picture of the determinants of success (and failure) of gender quota laws.

Taylor & Francis Online