Women in Comparative PoliticsDr. Carrie Liu Currierc.currier@tcu.edu

I. Representation issues

II. Cultural/Social dilemmas

One of the big obstacles… suffrage 1893 New Zealand 1915 Denmark [same year as men] 1918 British women (over 30 until 1928), USSR 1920 US women [50 years after men] 1929-30’s – Latin American states (Ecuador, then Brazil,

Argentina, Chile) 1931 South African women [whites only, colored in 1984,

black in 1994] 1944 French women [96 years after men] 1947 Mexico 1949 China 1958 Nigeria (Southern), 1978 Northern 1963 Iran 1971 Switzerland [123 years after men] 2006 UAE

Representation Challenges

Plagued by stereotypes: emotional-rational, butter-guns

Family obligations keep them out (time/image)

Restrictions on holding office How many women are currently in executive

positions as heads of state/govt?

The number = 18 + 3 queens Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (Pres – Argentina) Pratibha Patil (Pres – India) Tarja Halonen (Pres – Finland) Micheline Calmy-Ray (Pres – Switzerland) Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Pres – Liberia) Mary McAleese (Pres – Ireland) Dalia Grybauskaite (Pres – Lithuania) Laura Chinchilla (Pres – Costa Rica) Roza Otunbaeva (Pres – Kyrgyzstan) Dilma Roussef (Pres – Brazil) Angela Merkel (Chancellor – Germany) Atifete Jahjaga (Pres – Kosovo) Sheikh Hasina (PM – Bangladesh) Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (PM – Iceland) Jadranka Kosor (PM – Croatia) Kamla Persad-Bissessar (PM – Trinidad & Tobago) Julia Gillard (PM – Australia) Iveta Radičová (PM – Slovakia) Queen Elizabeth II (Head of state – UK) Queen Margrethe II (Head of state – Denmark) Queen Beatrix (Head of state – Netherlands)

Legislative representation – lower house (2011)

Rwanda 56.3% Sweden 45%, Finland 42.5, Denmark 38 Cuba 43% Argentina 38.5% Mozambique 39.2% Mexico 26.2% China 21.3% UK 22% US…16.7% Russia 14% Nigeria 7% Iran 2.8% Kyrgyzstan 0% Only 30 states with 25%+ representation of women

Boosting representation…quota laws!

Reserved seats in parliament 1990s democratic states vs. fall of communism

National Candidate laws… 12 Latin American states (incl. Mexico 1996), 20-

40% of candidates in national elections 1999 France 40% local/national

Party quotas Mandatory and voluntary, even on #/% of

candidates running Bosnia-Herzegovina 30% required of parties

Cultural & Social Dilemmas Cultural rights vs. women’s rights

FGM (Nigeria – common, UK – immigrant issue) Arranged marriages, “dowry” murders, child brides Honor killings Shar’ia Veiling Education Healthcare Physical separation Population policies

Bride searching

The numbers –

Profits $3-5000 USD/day

Race, age, location, clientele $500-1000 per delivery $215,000+ for managing Less than ¼ may reach the women

Service: average 20+/day In Thailand there are more brothels than

schools