Defending the Status Quo

Defending the Status Quo explores political elites' resistance against electoral gender quota reforms, a widespread reform aimed at improving women's political representation. The book introduces The Resistance Stage Framework, a theoretical model rooted in feminist institutionalism, which outlines how politicians try to block or slow down gender-equitable change throughout the policy process. Through a detailed analysis of Uruguay's 30-year struggle to adopt and implement electoral gender quotas, the book reveals the adaptive nature of resistance among powerful status quo defenders. Drawing on interviews and legislative debates, the book shows how resistance strategies vary over the policy process and across political parties in response to changing institutional and ideational constraints.