The transformation of male and female representation in the Costa Rican legislative assembly: 1962-2022

Abstract

In Costa Rica there have been significant changes in the order of representation. From a socio-historical perspective, and creating three specific periods (Hegemonic-PLN, Bipartisan, and Multiparty), we can explore the change in representation by gender in the country’s Parliament. The legal-electoral findings in the case of the new Electoral Code emphasize vertical and horizontal parity. For the central period of study —the Multipartidista—, there is a continuity towards the equality of women and men in the Parliament. The study is carried out with a quantitative methodology. Analyzing in detail some data for 2022 we find, among other results, that there´s a majority of man legislators in the provinces of San José, Heredia y Puntarenas; and in Alajuela, Cartago y Limón the majority are women legislators. And being parity with vertical and horizontal alternation a successful tool in the female presence in the 2022 congress.