[7] More recently in 2006 the Feminism and Institutional International Network (FIIN) emerged with scholars from Scotland, England, Denmark, Sweden and the USA participating in their workshops.
Gender underlines choices that are being made and is ever present in the subconscious, guiding final decisions concerning institutions.
Many scholars believe that gender is something that has been overlooked, leaving gaps in research and having potential institutional processes missed.
[9] Political institutions are guided and influenced by gender through social norms and bias that are created in the public sphere.
Institutions such as law, politics, religion, state and the economy have historically been developed by men and have been interpreted through a male perspective, leaving out the standpoint of women.
[12] Feminist institutionalist aim to have policies placed on the political agenda that work to empower women and put them at equal standing with men.
The election of different governments have downgraded feminist institutional status and their position in such a way that their ability to shape policy has become insignificant.
Quotas touch multiple domains of institutions to help bring more women into the work sphere and help them attain higher positions within the government.
[11] Quotas are also supported by the international community, the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the African Union and the Southern African Development Community have all put quotas in place that aim to have 30% women in all political bodies in the past 10 years.
Women have had lower levels of descriptive representation in both the executive and legislative branches of the government,[3] due to this these systems should be regarded and analyzed as such.
Women have been positioned as outsiders to these government institutions leaving them incapable of having access to political power.
[11] The right kind of quota law placed with the right set of conditions can generate significant increases in the election of female candidates,[15] which allows for greater representation across various institutions.
[15] It has also been critiqued that shifts within institutions are not permanent,[13] thus any change or policies put in place by feminist institutionalists can be removed and altered.