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