Gender Equality in Elected Office: A Six-Step Action Plan

Dr. Marcin WaleckiOSCE-ODIHR

April 2012

A study by Pippa Norris and Mona Lena Krook

Aims of Presentation

• Introduce Gender Equality in Elected Office: A Six-Step Action Plan

• Stress important role of political parties in promoting women’s participation

• Focus on voluntary measures political parties can adopt to increase women’s participation

The Six-Step Action Plan

1. Constitutional

Rights

2. Electoral Systems

3. Legal

Quotas

4. Party Rules

and Recruitment Procedures

5. Capacity

Development

6.Parliament

Reform

Steps 1-3: Legal Frameworks

• Step 1: Constitutional Frameworks– Equality of women and men enshrined!– Equal ballot access for women and men– Equal rights of men and women to participate in policy processes

• Step 2: Electoral Systems– Legal Framework: Registration, Equal Access to Resources – Type of electoral system– Aspects of electoral system

• Step 3: Legal Quotas– Placement, percentage, sanctions– Temporary special measures– Must be vigilant and comprehensive!

Step 4: Party Rules and Procedures

• Candidate Selection Process– Are women on the Selection Committee?– Are rules transparent and equal for all?

• Party and Campaign Resources– Money, airtime, party property

• Party Activities– Hours of meetings– Overtime, weekends

• Campaigning Culture– Hours, travel– Campaign habits

Voluntary Measures

• Increase ‘Supply of’ Female Candidates– Support training of women as candidates– Establish a fund to pay women candidate deposits

• Increase ‘Demand for’ Female Candidates – Initiate recruitment drives to actively seek and recruit qualified

women as party members and candidates• Integrate Gender Issues into Party Platforms

– Build capacity of women members to develop party policy• Gender Action Plans and Strategies

– Develop specific Gender Strategies and Action Plans– Identify activities, budgets, actors and timeframes

• Develop gender-sensitive Rules of Procedure– Family-friendly meeting hours; meeting places with childcare– Promote democracy internally as well as externally

Voluntary (Political Party) Quotas

• Most OSCE States have voluntary quotas

• But most effective when…– 1) Adopted by many parties, especially large parties– 2) Quotas set relatively high targets– 3) Quotas reflect widely accepted cultural practices and

traditions– 4) Parties have transparent structures and formal nomination

procedures, so rules are enforced

Country % Women in Parliament

Electoral System

Quota Level

Placement Policy

Sanctions Political Party Quotas

Georgia 7% Parallel Mixed

None None None Citizens’ Union 30% (2003)

Step 5: Building Capacity & Awareness

1) Equal opportunity initiatives:- Candidate training, recruitment

initiatives, and knowledge networks 2) Combating stereotypes; Raising awareness:

- Media campaigns, voter and citizen education3) Political party initiatives:

- Women’s sections, fundraising, and women’s parties

Czech politics: Do you really have a choice?

Step 6: Gender-sensitive Parliamentary Practices

Conclusions

• 1) Constitutional Frameworks: – Determine whether are women eligible to run

• 2) Electoral Systems: – Influence whether women are encouraged to run

• 3) Legal Quotas: – Indicate the number of women given the opportunity to run

• 4) Party Rules and Procedures: – Determine which women are selected to run

• 5) Capacity Development: – Helps identify and build the confidence of women who aspire to run

• 6) Parliamentary Rules and Procedures:– Influence whether women want to run again

“Women in Political Parties” Project

• Objective:– Build capacity of political parties to implement

voluntary measures to promote women as party candidates, leaders and decision-makers

• 5 Pilot Countries:– Albania, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova

• Key Activities:– Phase 1: Develop Handbook on Measures to Promote

Women’s Participation in Political Parties– Phase 2: Institute Training Programme for political parties

• Local Partnerships– E.g. Women’s Information Centre, Georgia