This would result in the woman not being elected because of her ideologies, not gender. Another reason could be that there are more men running than women, so statistically there are just better odds that a man is chosen over a woman. Lastly, it is known that a great portion of the population does not take part in elections by not voting; In 2015, the voter turnout rate was the highest it has been for around 20 years, but was still only 68.3%. The other 31.7% would have made a major impact if they all decided to vote for a female. This reason alone could account for the gender balance in politics as those voices are not heard. Some of the possible solutions include: A 50/50 quota to be met at each election, or promotion for the idea of women in politics.
If there was a quota placed to balance the genders in politics, there is the potential for major repercussion. For instance, there was an idea along the same lines but instead for the representation of aboriginals in government. The problem with both of these possible solutions is that people are less qualified might take a more qualified person’s spot based on the fact that they are female or aboriginal, and more importantly is a violation of the charter on the grounds of discrimination. The other possible solution would be to promote the idea for women to get involved in politics. The issue with this is that it could be interpreted as paternalism and could be costly for the government to advertise. In conclusion, there is not much we can do as a society to change the balance of gender in politics. The stigma against women and other variables are simply out of our individual control. The solutions of placing a quota or promoting a higher representation for women in politics could create backlash as it may create more controversy. The only thing we can do as a society is to abolish the views of the past to better the views of the
future.