6 ▪ Majority –Plurality Systems (First Past The Post/FPTP; Block Vote; Alternative Vote; Two round System) ▪ Semi –Proportional Systems (Parallel; Limited Vote, Single Non-Transferable Vote/SNTV) ▪ Proportional representation systems (List PR; Mixed Member Proportional, Single Transferable Vote) Zimbabwe’s electoral system is a “first past the post” system with single member constituencies where the candidate with the most votes wins a seat in the House of Assembly/Senate. A comparative analysis of democracies around the world shows that an important factor determining the extent of women’s participation in national legislatures is the type of electoral system in place. Feminists have, thus, pointed at the electoral system as the most conducive political arena to be changed if gender parity in political representation could be realised. This realisation stems from the apparent malleability of electoral systems compared to cultural systems that promote male dominance. While there is consensus that most electoral systems favour men when implemented, there is considerable agreement that the PR system, where it has been implemented, has resulted in more women being elected than where other systems have been used. Women have always had a slight advantage in proportional representation (PR) systems compared to other systems. There is a considerable accumulation of comparative evidence that underlines the structural advantages of PR in advantaging women’s representation. Of the top 10 countries as of March 1998 in terms of women’s representation – Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Seychelles, Germany, New Zealand, Argentina and Austria – all utilized various forms of proportional representation. Several individual country situations, in which electoral systems have been changed, have further emphasized the apparent structural superiority of PR systems. Election observers should, therefore, in their assessment of the elections, take note of the electoral system in place and scrutinise it vis-à-vis its potential of foster gender equality in the electoral process.