Women and political representation From Rhetoric to Practice: Investigating the gaps between design and implementation in gender equality policies Giovanna

Women and political representation

From Rhetoric to Practice: Investigating the gaps between design and implementation in gender equality policies

Giovanna Declich, ASDO

June 3rd, 2007

Women and political representation - ASDO, June 2007 2

The stake (1): Effectiveness and relevance of policies addressing the gender gap in the

European Year of Equal Opportunities for All

WG 3/a “will investigate the ways the gap between design and implementation are created and aim at better understanding what policy mechanisms as well as theoretical assumptions should be integrated in the process in order to reduce the (gender) gap”

We know all too well that the issue of Equal Opportunities is multifaceted. It is thus necessary to face it by the adoption of diversified points of view and tools, both of a scientific and a political nature.


The stake (2): Effectiveness and relevance of policies addressing the gender gap in the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All

The Equal Opportunities concept (even though we are now specifically addressing gender) is a complex one, referring to a manifold reality (multiple identities, lack of common points of reference and shared goals)

That’s why it is difficult to assess women’s real situation and advancement (the media, above all, tend to oscillate between moments of unrestrained optimism and the darkest pessimism)

Politics play in any case a key role. That’s the reason behind ASDO’s research and project on women in politics.


Two risks to be avoided, in research as in policy design

Confronting “the obvious that doesn’t change” (to cite a slogan that titled a beautiful book on women in politics, by Italian psycho-analyst Francesca Molfino), two specular risks have to be avoided:

Thinking we know it all

Starting from scratch each time, wasting decades of scientific literature and knowledge produced by women’s movements’ concrete action all over the world.


ASDO’s project on women in

politics (ESF/Equal budget line)

Duration: 2 years and a half (now in second year) Research: 1st year and throughout the project.

Research tools Statistical data collection Review of previous studies Observation on 2006 Italian political elections Survey on political women experience and attitudes Observation of experimental micro-projects

Experimentation: 6 micro-projects to tackle emerging problems

Public communication and networking activities (newsletter, seminars, public meetings etc.).


Research outputs - 1

Statistical data collection

Review of previous studies

Observation of 2006 Italian elections

Survey on political women’s experience and attitudes

Observation of experimental micro-projects

The notion of “diffused vertical segregation”

Vertical segregation is a global phenomenon

It affects every area of political, professional and social life

It affects every level of power


Under-representation is a global problem: some examples (Lower/single houses)

AREA % AREA %

Americas 20,0 Pacific 12,4

Europe (OSCE)

19,8 Arab States 9,5

Sub-Saharan Africa

17,4

Asia 16,5 World average

17,3


More examples: the paradox of G8 countries (Lower/single houses)

COUNTRY % COUNTRY %

Germany 31,6 France 12,2

Canada 20,8 Russian federation

9,8

United Kingdom

19,7 Japan 9,4

Italy 17,3

United States 16,3 G8 average 17,1


More examples: European

champions and poor performers... (Lower/single houses)

COUNTRY % COUNTRY %

Sweden 47,3 United Kingdom

19,7

Finland 42,0 Italy 17,3

Norway 37,9 Ireland 13,3

Denmark 36,9 Greece 13,0

Spain 36,0 France 12,2


But all countries are performing

poorly at the local level (Women mayors)

COUNTRY % COUNTRY %

Sweden 20,0 Greece 10,0

Norway 16,8 Italy 9,6

Spain 12,4 Denmark 9,2

Finland 10,0 Germany 5,1


Segregation affects every area of life: examples

POSITION %General directors of public health services (ITALY) 6,0University full professors (NETHERLANDS) 9,4Board members of largest European Union enterprises (50 largest enterprises for each of the 25 EU COUNTRIES)

3,0

Highest-level public officials (SPAIN) 4,7High Court judges (UNITED KINGDOM) 6,5Members of the Executive Board of the Central Bank (AUSTRIA)

6,0

Members of the Executive Board of national television networks (FRANCE)

6,2


Segregation affects every level of power (ITALY)

POSITION %Presidents of municipal administrative sub-units 10,2Mayors in towns with less than 500 inhabitants 11,3Members of major trade unions’ regional-level secretariats 8,3Tribunal judges (presidents) 2,7Tribunal judges (presidents of division) 16,5Head physicians in hospital wards 10,8Newspapers’ managing editors 7,7


Research outputs - 2 Statistical data collection Review of previous

studies Observation of 2006

Italian elections Survey on political

women’s experience and attitudes


A taxonomy of factors affecting women’s success in politics (all crucial)

Diffused vertical segregation

Discordance in the exercise of political power

Lack of mobilization Material constraints Normative and behavioral inertia Biographical tangles Ambiguity of public opinion Irresolution and lack of

empowerment


Research outputs - 3 Statistical data

collection Review of previous

studies Observation of 2006

Italian elections Survey on political

women’s experience and attitudes


Questions we asked ourselves at this point:

Why women are so few even in countries where cultural attitudes favor gender equality?

Why do they face so many obstacles, leading to their virtual exclusion?

A lack of socialization of gender in the public sphere?

How do women react to this “social void?”








Differences among women Two different sources (268

local-level political and trade union women activists; 94 national-level political and trade union women representatives)

The weight of objective factors

Women’s reactions and subjective attitudes

The success-failure variable


The weight of obstacle factors

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

LOCAL NATIONAL








Different types of reactions:

Perceiving diversity

Sociopoietic effort

Personal life choices

Preferred solutions








Perceiving diversity:

Feeling extraneous

Critical approach

Constructive approach








Sociopoietic effort:

Belief in the added value of women in politics

Public negotiation

Private negotiation


Research outputs – 8






Personal life choices:

Political dynamism

Care

Other dimensions in life








Preferred solutions:

Institutional approach

Collective approach

Individual approach



Different attitudes produce different degrees of resistance by the political male-dominated environment. Most controversial attitudes have turned out being: Feeling extraneous Critical approach Belief in women’s added value in politics Public negotiation Private negotiation

Other attitudes produce resistance when connected with one another (e.g. political dynamism and care)


Some practical implications of research outputs

Potential for change implied by women’s presence in political institutions is diversified: impact does not automatically rise with increased numbers

However, most women’s actions have the potential to challenge male-dominated institutions, albeit to different degrees

It is important to fight exclusionary factors, through legislative and policy interventions, but it is equally important doing so while fostering women’s attitudes conducive to change

DiscordanceLack of mobilizationMaterial ConstraintsNormative and behavioral inertiaBiographical tanglesAmbiguity of public opinionIrresolutionDiffused vertical segregation

Feeling extraneousCritical approachBelief in women’s added valuePublic negotiationPrivate negotiationPolitical dynamismCareConstructive approach

Objective factors

Subjective attitudes


To conclude…

Empowerment is crucial to strengthen attitudes more directly challenging the status quo and thus socializing gender difference in the political arena, both for women already in politics, and for those that are not and young girls, who could contribute a lot to change by bringing in their different approaches and experiences.

The project experimental activities move in this direction: linking different power levels, practices and generations to promote change.

The results of the experimentation and of the whole project will conduct to the final drafting of guidelines for fostering women political participation.


Experimental activities underway

The 6 micro-projects deal with (in brackets the promoters)

Women’s empowerment for political leadership in the Latium regional administration (ALEF, women association)

Negotiation for women’s leadership in largest chemical and textile Italian trade unions (FILTEA, national trade union)

Mentoring program for women in local branches of an Italian national-level party (MARGOWEB, local club of a political party)

Helping elected women in municipal administrations (Rome province) to link with their constituencies and effectively address women’s priorities, enhancing participation (ASPETTARE STANCA, women association)

Migrant women and reconciliation issues for enlarging participation to grassroots political movements and associations in Rome (DS VIII MUNICIPIO, local federation of a political party)

Promoting women in middle-level positions in a national-level Italian trade union (CISL, regional federation of a trade union)

Documents

Women and political representation From Rhetoric to Practice: Investigating the gaps between design and implementation in gender equality policies Giovanna