Tools and Numbers: Movement Strategy and Women's Inclusion in Political Institutions

What numbers of women are necessary for women to achieve gender parity in political office? What claims do feminists want to make about women’s inclusion in positions of political power? What tools do we need to achieve women’s and men’s political parity? Numbers determine the most important components of political competition, establishing how many positions are available; influencing how many persons contest for each position; and shaping how many potential office-holders are available. Ultimately, numbers determine how many women are necessary to achieve parity inclusion in politics.This paper addresses four political offices: 1) member of a national legislature; 2) cabinet minister; 3) party leader; and 4) head of government, identifying the number of positions in each , the nature of the competition, and the final selection process, and analyzes the likely conditions under which women’s selection chances are greatest and the tools organized women might employ to increase their numbers.