in a dynamic dialogue with their own female representatives the legislature and the public parties gradually grasped that gender quotas matched public expectations the realisation was driven home by mounting evidence as female representation in elected bodies started gradually to grow in the wake of parties voluntary adoption of quotas in the s and to dismantle the stereotypical view of women as incapable of leadership reacting to the public and to the legislature s enabling culture parties came to recognise gender quotas and gender equality as an issue and managed to include it in national legislative debate