Representativity in times of diversity: The political representation of women

• Women are heterogeneous and (may) have conflicting views on women's interests.
• It is unclear when women's substantive representation is ‘good’.
• Representation of women consists of establishing an economy of claims for women.
• Inclusiveness and responsiveness determine the quality of representation.
• Contradictory and conflicting views on women's interests need to be included.

SynopsisRecognizing diversity among women and their intersectional identities leads us away from evaluating the substantive representation of women with singular views of what is ‘feminist’ and ‘in the interests of women’. Illustrated through the comparative analysis of two recent cases in Belgium – the burka ban and the law on quotas for women on company boards – this article proposes inclusiveness and responsiveness of the representation process as criteria to judge the quality of women's substantive representation. The discussion over the interests of women in the quotas debate – which was responsive to a broader range of women who would hence feel represented – made it the better process of representation.