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WOMEN IN POLITICS WOMEN IN POLITICS OVERVIEWOVERVIEW
Gender, Women and Politics
The National Democratic Institute
INTRODUCTIONS/INTRODUCTIONS/GROUND RULESGROUND RULES
• Introductions• Ground Rules• Ice Breaker Exercise
WOMEN IN POLITICS WOMEN IN POLITICS OVERVIEW OVERVIEW OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES• Understand the need for women’s
political participation and the related legal framework within global, regional and country-specific contexts
Photo: AFP/Getty Images
WOMEN IN POLITICS WOMEN IN POLITICS TOPICSTOPICS
• Women’s political participation: history and trends
• Benefits• Obstacles• Minimum conditions• International/regional/national
frameworks• Impact of women's participation• Resources
KEY TERMSKEY TERMS• Empowerment• Gender equality• Critical mass• Quota• First past the post (FPTP)• Proportional representation (PR)• Transparency• Caucus
Photo: Katie Croake, NDI
OVERALL GLOBAL TRENDSOVERALL GLOBAL TRENDSReaching parity in primary education but…
•2/3 of illiterate adults are women•Women’s wages are 70-90% those of men•Women spend at least twice as much time as men on domestic work
OVERALL GLOBAL TRENDSOVERALL GLOBAL TRENDS
• Rates of physical violence vary from several percent to over 59%
• Gender digital divide • Women more likely to live in
poverty
EXERCISEEXERCISE
Women in Politics Quiz
Photo: www.suffrage-centenniel.org
HISTORY OF WOMEN’S HISTORY OF WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATIONPOLITICAL PARTICIPATION
• Right to stand for election US (1788)
• Right to vote New Zealand (1893)
• First parliamentarians Finland (1907)
• First head of state Mongolia (1953)
WOMEN IN POLITICS: WOMEN IN POLITICS: GLOBAL TRENDSGLOBAL TRENDS
• Women in parliament: 20.3% Rwanda: 56.3%
• 33 parliamentary lower chambers with 30% or more women
• Presiding officers: 15.1%• 7 countries: no women• 16.7% of ministerial posts• 17 heads of government
Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images
REGIONAL TRENDSREGIONAL TRENDS
Rank Lower Upper •Kosovo 24 31.8%•Macedonia 26 30.9%•Serbia 56 22%•Bulgaria 61 20.8%•Slovakia 80 16%
•Romania 103 11.2% 5.9%
REGIONAL QUOTASREGIONAL QUOTAS
Country Quota System
Kosovo 30%-N Open PR, every 3rdMacedonia 30%-N,L Closed PR, every 3rdSerbia 30%-N, L PR, every 4thBulgaria FPTP/PRSlovakia PRRomania MMP
LOCAL TRENDSLOCAL TRENDS
• 1935: women’s political rights recognized
• Advances in parliament: from 9% to 14%
• 1 parliamentary committee chair
• 1 of 26 ministries headed by a woman
• Men hold 82% of executive positions
EXERCISEEXERCISE
Brainstorm: Why women?
Photo: NDI
WOMEN’S POLITICAL WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: BENEFITSPARTICIPATION: BENEFITS
• Higher standards of living• Concerns of marginalized voters
represented• Collaborative leadership styles• Work across party lines• Peace building• Better decisions
BENEFITSBENEFITS“Success without democracy is improbable. Democracy without women is impossible.”
“The political participation of women results in tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and more sustainable peace.” - Madeleine K. Albright
WOMEN IN POLITICS: WOMEN IN POLITICS: VOTERSVOTERS
• Fundamental right• Barriers• Voter and civic education• When women vote, women win
Photo: NDI
WOMEN IN POLITICAL WOMEN IN POLITICAL PARTIESPARTIES
• Importance of women as party members and leaders
• Benefits to the party• Women’s wings
Photo: Amy Hamelin, NDI
WOMEN IN CIVIL SOCIETYWOMEN IN CIVIL SOCIETY
• Women as agents of change
Photo: NDI
EXERCISEEXERCISE
Women’s political participation: identifying helping and hindering
forces
Image: Inter-parliamentary Union
OBSTACLES TO WOMEN’S OBSTACLES TO WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATIONPOLITICAL PARTICIPATION• Structural–Legal–Economic–Educational
• Social/cultural/religious• Time and space• Physical security• Lack of confidence
MINIMUM CONDITIONS FOR MINIMUM CONDITIONS FOR POLITICAL PARTICIPATIONPOLITICAL PARTICIPATION
• Access to positions of power
• Transparency• Changing cultural
norms• Women’s
economic empowerment
• Political will
Photo: Amy Hamelin, NDI
MINIMUM CONDITIONSMINIMUM CONDITIONS• Voice–Empowerment–Critical mass
• Access–Representative resources–Material and economic resources–Democratic/cultural space– Information – gender-disaggregated
• Capacity
GOALSGOALS
We want MORE:•(informed) women voters•women party leaders•elected women at all levels•effective women leaders•inclusive party platforms•inclusive public policy
Photo: Washington Post
GLOBAL FRAMEWORKSGLOBAL FRAMEWORKS• CEDAW (1979)– International bill of rights for women–Defines discrimination–States commit to end discrimination
• Beijing Platform for Action (1995)–Agenda for women's empowerment –Aims to remove obstacles to women's
active participation
GLOBAL FRAMEWORKSGLOBAL FRAMEWORKS• Millennium Development Goals (2001)–promote gender equality and
empower women
• UN Security Council Resolutions –1325: Women’s participation in
peace negotiations and reconstruction–Subsequent Resolutions: 1820,1888,
1889 and 1960
REGIONAL AND NATIONAL REGIONAL AND NATIONAL FRAMEWORKSFRAMEWORKS
• Regional– Southern African Development
Community Protocol on Gender and Development (2008)
– African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women (2003)
• National– National Policy Framework for Women’s
Empowerment and Gender Equality
DONOR POLICIESDONOR POLICIES
• US Agency for International Development (USAID)
• SIDA, CIDA, DIFD• European Union• World Bank
MOBILIZING WOMEN FOR MOBILIZING WOMEN FOR CHANGE: MECHANISMSCHANGE: MECHANISMS
• Women’s parliamentary caucuses• Women’s wings within political parties• Civil society organizations• Cross-sector groups
Photo: NDI
WOMEN WORKING WOMEN WORKING TOGETHERTOGETHER
• Albania: Equality in Decision MakingoMulti-partisan networkoAwareness raising campaign on
domestic violenceo Lobbying campaign on women’s
economic empowerment
Photo: NDI
• Burkina Faso: CEDAW Coalitiono 17 women’s NGOso First CEDAW shadow report produced
by coalition
WOMEN WORKING WOMEN WORKING TOGETHERTOGETHER
Photo: NDI
• Iraq National Women’s Platformo Multi-partisan and multi-sector o Identified critical issues and policy solutionso Used platform to coordinate advocacy
and legislative initiatives
WOMEN WORKING WOMEN WORKING TOGETHERTOGETHER
• Macedonia: Women’s Parliamentary CluboAdvocated for establishment of quotao Lobbied for adoption of Protocol on
Human Traffickingo Proposed amendment on funding for
domestic violence
WOMEN WORKING WOMEN WORKING TOGETHERTOGETHER
NDI RESOURCESNDI RESOURCES• iKNOW Politics:
www.iknowpolitics.org• Win with Women Global Action Plan• Political Party Assessment Tool• Empowering Women for Stronger
Political Parties• Democracy and the Challenge of
Change
WOMEN AND POLITICS WOMEN AND POLITICS REVIEWREVIEW
• Women’s participation Recent development Numbers growing but not quickly
• Brings benefits • Faces obstacles• International/regional/national
frameworks• Women working together make a
difference
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