The Origin of the "First Generation" of Gender Parity Reforms in Latin America: Evidence from Argentina

In this article we explore the early emergence of electoral parity laws in the subnational level in Argentina ("first generation" reforms), focusing on a set of norms adopted prior to their inclusion in constitutions and national electoral legislation in Latin America. How did the early reforms originate? How did three subnational states advance towards parity before their transnational diffusion and the emergence of regional agreements that provided legitimacy? We argue that these subnational parity laws followed different trajectories, and that the explanations of the most recent reforms do not account for the causal forces that led to the early reforms. The first parity laws in the region were not based on emergent notions of gendered democracy, and their patterns and specific meanings vary according to the features of the political system.