Gender Quotas Database
Peru
South America
Single / Lower House
Congreso de la República / Congress of the Republic
| Total seats | 130 |
| Total women | 50 |
| Percentage of women | 38% |
| Gender Quota target | 50% |
| Election year | 2021 |
| Electoral system | List PR |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
The set of candidates is made up of fifty percent (50%) of women or men, arranged alternately as follows: a woman a man, or a man a woman. (Article 116, Election Law) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
The candidates who obtain the most votes occupy the first places, but once the maximum number of candidates of the same sex has been met, the candidate of the opposite sex who is required to meet the minimum quota continues. The final list is ordered sequentially as follows: a woman, a man or a man, a woman. Candidates who for any reason cannot make up the final list must be replaced by another candidate of the same sex, so that parity and alternation are ensured. (2) The criterion of gender parity and alternation must also be verified on the total number of candidates presented by each political organization. (3) (Article 116, Election Law) |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Gender Quota target | 50% |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
3. The correlative number that indicates the position of the candidates for councilors on the list, which is made up of fifty percent (50%) of men or women, placed alternately as follows: a woman, a man or a man , a woman; ... The criterion of gender parity and alternation must also be verified on the total number of candidates presented by each political organization. (Article 10 - Parity Law) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| No data available. | ||
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
Gender quotas have been incorporated in Peru’s national electoral legislation since 1997. The 2000 national election was conducted with one nation-wide constituency, and the 25% quota provision was almost met (21.7% of candidates elected were women, up from 10.8% in the 1995 election). However, in the 2001 national election, in which the country was divided into electoral districts, the number of women elected dropped to 18.3%. In the 2006 election women's representation increased, and the new quota provision of 30% was almost met.
In 2019, a new legislation has established that, for the General Elections of 2021, the quota will be increased to 40%, increasing a 5% for the following elections until parity will be reached: in 2026 (45%) and in 2031 (50%).
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Peru - Spanish/ English
- Electoral Laws (amended through 2023) - Link
- Political Parties Law - Link
- Parity Law - Link
OTHER SOURCES:
- Parliament of Peru - Link
- Commission Electoral - Link
- PARITY AND ALTERNANCE General Elections 2021 - Progress towards a parity democracy - Spanish
- Election FAQs: Peru (IFES 2022) - Link
- Reforms to the gender electoral regime in the national legislative power - Link
- Llanos, B (2019): “Surcando olas y contra-olas. Una mirada paritaria a los derechos políticos de las mujeres en América Latina”. Atenea, International IDEA, ONU Mujeres, UNDP.
- Llanos, B. and Nina, J (2015):"Mecanismo de aceleración de la participación política de las mujeres en América Latina y el Caribe. La paridad que no llega: Avances y Desafíos de la Participación Política de las Mujeres Peruanas". Perú: Atenea, International IDEA, ONU Mujeres and UNDP.
- La Ley (2019/08/27): ¡Ya es oficial! Establecen la paridad de género en las elecciones del Congreso
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Peru on iKNOW Politics
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru (Official Website)
- Schmidt, G & Araújo, C. 2004. The Devil’s in the Details: Open List Voting and Gender Quotas in Brazil and Peru, paper presented at the XXV International Congress of Latin American Studies Association, Las Vegas, October 2004.
- Schmidt, G. 2003. ‘Unanticipated Successes: Lessons from Peru’s Experience with Gender Quotas in Majoritarian Closed List and Open List PR Systems’, in International IDEA The Implementation of Quotas: Latin American Experiences, Quota Workshop Report Series no. 2, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 120–33.
- Schmidt, G. 2003a. Cuotas efectivas, Magnitud Relativa del Partido y el xito de las Candidatas Mujeres: Una Evaluacin Comparativa de las Elecciones Municipales Peruanas. Lima: Manuela Ramos.
- Schmidt, G. 2003b. Las Mujeres y el Presidente: Fujimori y La Equidad de Gnero? Lima: Manuela Ramos.
- Htun, M. N. & Jones, M. P. 2002. ‘Engendering the Right to Participate in Decision-Making: Electoral Quotas and Women's Leadership in Latin America.’ Nikki Craske and Maxine Molyneux(ed.) Gender and the Politics of Rights and Democracy in Latin America. New York: Palgrave. pp. 32-56.
- Htun, Mala N. 2002. ‘Mujeres y poder político en Latinoamérica,’ in International IDEA, Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 19-44.
- Peschard, J. 2002. El sistema de cuotas en América Latina. Panorama general, in International IDEA. Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números. Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 173-186.
- Jimenez Polanco, J. 2001. La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine: une analyse comparée (Women's political representation in Latin America: a comparative analysis). Bérengère Marques-Pereira and Patricio Nolasco (ed.) La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine(Women's political representation in Latin America). Brussels: L'Harmattan. pp. 27-81.
- Lama, A. 2001. Politics-Peru: Efforts to Elect More Women Founder. Interpress Service, September 13.
- Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas. 2001. Women and Power in the Americas: A Report Card. Washington: Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- United States Agency for International Development. 2000. The USAID Commitment. Report.
- Blondet, C. 1999. Las mujeres y la política en la década de Fujimori. Working Paper no. 109. Instituto de Estudios Peruanos.
- Poder político con perfume de mujer: Las cuotas en el Perú(Political power with the scent of a woman: Quotas in Peru). 1998. Lima: Movimiento Manuela Ramos and Instituto de Estudios Peruanos.
- Barrig, M. 1998. Female Leadership, Violence, and Citizenship in Peru. Jaquette, Jane and Wolchik, Sharon (eds.) Women and Democracy. Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp.104-124.
- Blondet, C. 1998. El poder político en la mira de las mujeres. In Poder politico con perfume de mujer. Las cuotas en el Perú. Lima: Movimiento Manuela Ramos/ Instituto de Estudios Peruanos.
- Hosken, F. 1998. IWRAW Report: Peru. Women's International Network (WIN News) 24, no. 4. pp. 72.
- Htun, M. N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Villaneuva, V., & Palomino, R. 1998. Perú: Acceso de la mujer al poder y a instancias de toma de decisiones. Silvia Vega Ugalde (ed.). Acceso de las mujeres a la toma de decisiones en los países andinos. Quito: Coalición Política de Mujeres Andinas. pp. 79-107.
- Gutierrez, E. 1997. Women-Latam: Andean Women Flex Their Political Muscle. Interpress Service, September 23.
- Lama, A. 1997a. Peru-Rights: Women Gain in Political Representation. Interpress Service, November 11.
- Lama, A. 1997b. Peru-Women: New Quota Law Aims at Correcting Gender Imbalance. Interpress Service, June 5.
- Peru Parliament website, http://www.congreso.gob.pe/
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