“We force women to enter politics ”

Representations of femininity in the discourse ofparliamentary gender quotas

Abstract

The article presents and analyses arguments for and
against introducing gender quotas in the legislature. It
considers the period 1994-2006, a period of heated debate
about quotas in the Slovenian parliament. Based on
a constructivist paradigm, the author addresses gender
as a social phenomenon that is the result of historical and
culturally placed mutual agreements made on the basis of
language and practice. The debates on quotas in the parliament
reveal the prevalent concept of “femininity” and the
impact of “femininity” norms in our society on the behavior
of women and their choice to enter politics. This sheds
light on the discursively shaped dominant constructs of
the apparently incompatible constructs of femininity and
politics. It turns out that gender and “femininity” constitute
the main barriers preventing women from entering
politics. The discourse struggles over meaning were fought
by male and female politicians with diverse values and
interests. The protagonists’ power resources determined
which meaning would prevail as the “common sense” one.
The developments in the parliament can be seen as a mirror
reflecting society, particularly regarding the gender
wars. The results of the analysis are normative images of
femininity.