Abstract/Summary

The following essay presents an overview of theoretically based issues around the debate on women’s political representation and participation, having as a central strand the appropriateness of affirmative action strategies. It is built from the justifications that support the need for better ways of representing disadvantaged groups in general and women in particular as a requirement for democracy and social justice. The essay debates affirmative action and some false assumptions around it, arguing for gender quotas as the strongest mechanism to achieve a definite inclusion of women into politics.