👧🏻Women and Politics Unit 11 – Women in Parties and Electoral Systems

Key Concepts and Definitions

• Political parties are organized groups that seek to influence government policy by getting their candidates elected to public office
• Electoral systems are the rules and procedures that govern how elections are conducted and how votes are translated into seats in a legislature
• Gender quotas are measures aimed at increasing the representation of women in political institutions, often through reserved seats or candidate lists
• Descriptive representation refers to the extent to which elected officials mirror the demographic characteristics of the population they represent
• Substantive representation involves elected officials advocating for and enacting policies that benefit the groups they represent
• The glass ceiling is a metaphor for the invisible barriers that prevent women from reaching the highest levels of political leadership
• Intersectionality examines how various forms of discrimination and disadvantage, such as gender, race, and class, interact and compound each other

Historical Context

• Women's suffrage movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries marked the beginning of women's formal participation in electoral politics
• The first country to grant women the right to vote was New Zealand in 1893, followed by Australia in 1902 and Finland in 1906
• In the United States, the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote was ratified in 1920
• Despite gaining the right to vote, women remained underrepresented in political parties and elected offices throughout the 20th century
• Second-wave feminism in the 1960s and 1970s brought renewed attention to women's political representation and the need for gender equality in politics
• The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995) established a global platform for action to promote women's political participation

Women's Representation in Political Parties

• Women have historically been underrepresented in political party leadership and decision-making positions
• Political parties play a crucial role in recruiting, nominating, and supporting candidates for elected office
• Parties with more women in leadership positions tend to prioritize issues related to gender equality and women's rights
• Left-leaning parties have generally been more proactive in promoting women's representation compared to conservative parties
• Gender quotas within political parties, such as requiring a certain percentage of women on candidate lists, can increase women's representation
• Women's wings or caucuses within parties provide a platform for women to advocate for their interests and mentor female candidates
• Lack of access to political networks, financial resources, and media coverage can hinder women's advancement within parties

Electoral Systems and Gender

• Electoral systems can have a significant impact on women's representation in elected bodies
• Proportional representation (PR) systems, which allocate seats based on a party's share of the vote, tend to elect more women compared to majoritarian systems
• In PR systems, parties have an incentive to include women on their candidate lists to appeal to a broader electorate
• Gender quotas are more effective in PR systems, as they ensure women are placed in winnable positions on party lists
• Majoritarian systems, such as first-past-the-post, often favor incumbent candidates and make it harder for women to break into politics
• Mixed electoral systems, which combine elements of PR and majoritarian systems, can provide opportunities for women's representation through both party lists and single-member districts
• Reserved seat systems, used in some countries, guarantee a certain number of seats for women in the legislature

Barriers to Women's Political Participation

• Societal and cultural norms that view politics as a male domain can discourage women from seeking elected office
• Women often face discrimination and bias from party leaders, voters, and the media based on gender stereotypes
• The double burden of balancing work and family responsibilities can limit women's ability to pursue political careers
• Lack of access to education, training, and resources can hinder women's political advancement
• Violence against women in politics, including harassment and intimidation, can deter women from participating
• Unequal access to campaign financing and political networks puts women at a disadvantage compared to male candidates
• Structural barriers, such as the design of political institutions and electoral systems, can create additional hurdles for women

Strategies for Increasing Women's Involvement

• Implementing gender quotas, either through legislation or voluntary party measures, can increase women's representation
• Providing training, mentoring, and resources to women candidates can help them navigate the political landscape
• Encouraging political parties to adopt gender-sensitive policies and practices, such as gender-balanced leadership and candidate lists
• Reforming electoral systems to be more conducive to women's representation, such as adopting proportional representation or reserved seats
• Addressing violence against women in politics through legal protections, reporting mechanisms, and public awareness campaigns
• Promoting gender-sensitive media coverage and challenging gender stereotypes in political discourse
• Engaging men as allies in the fight for gender equality in politics and encouraging them to support women candidates and policies
• Building cross-party women's caucuses and networks to provide support, share resources, and advocate for women's interests

Case Studies and Examples

• Rwanda has the highest percentage of women in parliament worldwide (61.3% in the lower house) due to a combination of reserved seats and a post-conflict emphasis on gender equality
• Sweden has consistently ranked among the top countries for women's representation, with women holding 47% of seats in parliament as of 2021, thanks to voluntary party quotas and a strong tradition of gender equality
• In India, a constitutional amendment in 1993 reserved one-third of seats in local government bodies (panchayats) for women, leading to over 1 million women entering local politics
• The Women's Equality Party in the United Kingdom, founded in 2015, aims to promote gender equality and field women candidates in elections
• In Mexico, a 2014 constitutional reform mandated gender parity in all congressional candidacies, resulting in women holding 48.2% of seats in the lower house as of 2021
• New Zealand, the first country to grant women the right to vote, has had three female prime ministers to date: Jenny Shipley (1997-1999), Helen Clark (1999-2008), and Jacinda Ardern (2017-present)

Current Trends and Future Outlook

• The global average of women in national parliaments has increased from 11.3% in 1995 to 25.5% in 2021, but progress remains slow and uneven across regions
• Women's representation in political party leadership remains low, with women holding only 13.1% of party leader positions worldwide as of 2020
• The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of women's leadership and representation in crisis response and recovery efforts
• Intersectional approaches to women's political participation are gaining traction, recognizing the diverse experiences and challenges faced by women from different backgrounds
• Online harassment and violence against women in politics are emerging as significant barriers to women's participation in the digital age
• Efforts to promote youth participation and gender equality in politics, such as youth quotas and mentoring programs, aim to build a pipeline of future women leaders
• Continued advocacy, research, and exchange of best practices at the global level will be crucial in accelerating progress towards gender equality in political representation