Description

Journal article published in Africa Today, a publication of Indiana University Press. Volume 54, Number 3. You can purchase a copy of this journal form IU Press at: http://inscribe.iupress.org/loi/aft

There is an international movement that advocates the establishment
of quotas for women, especially in political and
governmental positions. Partly as a result of its initiatives and
efforts, countries have introduced legislation that endorses its
spirit. These efforts have been important in addressing the
gender gap; however, the means of articulating these legislative
measures and implementing them vary from country to
another. This article focuses on the textual formulation of the
Quota Bill (2001) in Niger and how secularist and Islamist
political elite women responded to it during the debate that
led to its legal adoption.