The article "Quotas for Women" by Anne Phillips discusses the adoption of gender quotas by political parties to increase the representation of women in national assemblies:

• Introduction of Gender Quotas: A significant number of political parties globally have introduced gender quotas to address the underrepresentation of women in politics, motivated by various arguments including role modeling, justice, the representation of women's interests, and the introduction of new political behaviors.
• Global Developments and Attitudes: From the mid-1970s, parties in Nordic countries led the introduction of gender quotas for parliamentary candidates. This trend has spread globally, including notable implementations in South Africa and India, as well as initiatives by the British Labour Party aiming for a 50% target for women's representation within three general elections.
• Challenges and Opposition: Gender quota implementations have faced both support and significant opposition, highlighting a shift in political attitudes toward recognizing the problem of women's underrepresentation. However, this shift also reveals deep divisions over the measures supported to address the issue.
• Empirical Data and the Need for Deliberate Choice: Data indicate that countries with multi-member electoral constituencies and those that have taken positive action towards gender parity show notable improvements in women's representation. Critiques of gender quotas often focus on concerns about meritocracy and the risk of reducing the overall caliber of politicians.
• Debates on Meritocracy vs. Gender Selection: Critics argue that selecting candidates based on gender rather than merit could undermine the political process and fairness. However, this argument is contested by highlighting the lack of evidence that current male-dominated political assemblies are selected purely on merit.
• Gender Quotas as Part of Broader Debates: The debate around gender quotas intersects with wider discussions about social justice, representation, and the impact of structural discrimination against women in political representation.
• Gender-Specific Interests and Representation: The article argues for the importance of gender quotas based on the premise that interests are gendered. It acknowledges that while there may not be a unified set of women's interests, the representation of gender-diverse interests is crucial for a more equitable and comprehensive political discourse.