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Kirsti Kolthoff

President

FEMANET SEMINAR

22.01.2008

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NO DEMOCRACY

without

PARITY DEMOCRACY

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European Women’s Lobby

• Established in 1990

• Membership based women’s organisation from 28 countries - 25 in the EU and 18 European Wide International organisations

• 4000 members - largest umbrella organisations of women’s associations in the European Union (EU)

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Europe

Ewl

EU25 Member States: 

•Austria

•Belgium

•Cyprus

•Czech Republic

•Denmark

•Estonia

•Finland

•France

•Germany

•Greece

•Hungary

•Ireland

•Italy

•Latvia

•Lithuania

•Luxembourg

•Malta

•The Netherlands

•Poland

•Portugal

•Slovakia

•Slovenia

•Spain

•Sweden

•United Kingdom

 

Candidate Countries:

•Bulgaria

•Croatia

•Romania

•Turkey

Application Pending:

•Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Population

third largest population bloc in the world after China and India, with more than 450 million inhabitants.

20 official languages

All member states are governed by parliamentary democracy. Seven constitutional monarchies which nevertheless rely on parliamentary government:

1957 six sign the Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic community

May 1, 2004 biggest enlargement of the EU since the dawn of European construction

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Areas of work of EWL

• Women in decision-making

• Women’s diversity

• Women’s rights at international level

• European gender equality policies

• Violence against women

• Women’s human rights

• Economic and social justice for women

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EWL Structure

EWL Member organisations in Europe National Co-ordinations of women’s NGOs

European Member organisations

EWL General Assembly

(≃100 delegates)

EWL Board of Administration(34 elected members)

EWL Executive Committee

1 President, 2 Vice Pres, 1 Treasurer, 3 members

EWL Secretariat (Brussels)

EWL Secretary General EWL staff

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European Women‘s Lobby (EWL)

EWL Memberorganisations

EWL Board members EWL ExecutiveCommittee

EWL Secretariat(Brussels)

Influence EU Policy

State governments and parliaments EU parliamentarians

European Parliament (Women‘s Rights‘ Committee)

EU Commission (DG: Employment and Social Affairs)

The Council = the ministers from the member states

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WOMEN IN DECISION-MAKING: WHAT IS AT STAKE IS THE EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY• Women are mostly under represented in

decision-making in all European countries.A few examples from politics:• Women in the European Parliament: 31%• Women in national Parliaments in EU and

accession countries : 23%• Women in national governments in the EU MS

and accession countries: 22%

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Reasons that are commonly given for women’s under-representation in decision-making :1. Women’s economic subordination: economic, social and cultural resources are

necessary to attain decision-making positions1. Symbolic factors - traditional gender roles:

decision-making seen as a male domain2. Deficit in political representation: electoral institutions, laws and functioning: list system or majority systems, holding of several

mandates, political parties as gate keepers, status of elected persons etc

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5 areas of concern for women’s rights and economic independence

1. Enhancing reconciliation of work and family life2. Care - care service - and who cares?3. Eradicating gender-based violence and trafficking in

human beings4. Eliminating gender stereotypes in society5. Promoting gender equality outside the EU - human

rights/external policy/co-operation development

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Commitments made towards equality between women and men in decision-

making • Articles 7 and 8 of CEDAW• No binding provision on women in political

decision-making or other in European institutions• Positive actions on the labour market allowed by

article 141§4 of the EU Treaty but not mandatory• Different parity/quota systems or positive measures

in some European countries• Norwegian legislation on equality between women

and men in boards of administration of big enterprises

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Some conditions for success of measures for the promotion of women in political

decision-making• Political parties are necessary vehicles for

equality• Voluntary quotas by political parties can work

(Sweden), but if not obligatory in the law, always risk that they are removed

• Rules –in the context of proportional voting- must insist on strict alternation of women and men on candidate lists

• Parity or quota rules must lay down minimum percentages associated with penalties

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EWL WORK IN RELATION TO WOMEN IN DECISION MAKING

• A significant democratic and political challenge at all levels

• The image of the “people’s representative” is essentially male, while European societies are equally composed of women and men

• European democracy cannot be complete without the equal participation of women in the decision-making process at all levels

• Some groups of women in Europe, such as for example black, migrant and ethnic minority women, disabled or young women are quasi absent from political decision-making

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EWL and Parity Democracy in Europe

At the 2002 EWL General Assembly, EWL members adopted motions stressing the need to lobby for parity democracy to be introduced at European level = the equal representation of women and men in decision-making positions.

The ideas that we are promoting by working towards parity democracy:

• Women are represented in all social groups; they are neither a minority nor a category

• Women represent more than half of humanity: a quantitative dimension

• Women represent one of the two components of humanity: a qualitative dimension

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EWL campaign“Have we got the balance right?”

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KEY LESSONS AND CONCLUSIONS

• to put women’s issues on the political agenda

• to implement truly the gender mainstreaming

strategy, a better representation of women in decision-making is crucial - parity

• binding legislation to promote gender equality in decision-making at European level

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From issue group at EWL GA 07to be discussed at board m Jan 08

To use experience in EWL from “new” MS and how?

• EWL should give an initiative to make a formal big coalition for parity in the law all over Europe with all women party groups in the European parliament, with women network in the TU at EU level, with experts, media women and women dealing with gender equality in EC

• This coalition should prepare a focused proposal and budget of the Europe wide campaign for parity in the law.

• This coalition should lobby EU parliament and EC in order to get a sort of “Daphne project” for political representation of women

• This coalition should stat its first parallel electoral campaign all over Europe (and adjust it also for the future EU states and neighbors) before next elections for the European parliament.

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www.womenlobby.org