Womenspoliticalparticipation law making process

Women’s Political Participation in south Asia

HANSANI SAMPATH 12 OCTOBER 20151 HANSINI SAMMPATH- UMISARC

Women’s Political Participation in the World

Since the 4th Beijing World Conference on Women in 1995, the expansion of women’s political participation has been a world-wide trend.

Big changes are still being made in the northern part of Europe as well as in Arab and Asia-Pacific countries.

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HANSINI SAMMPATH- UMISARC

Sirimavo Bandaranaike - thrice Prime Minister of Sri Lanka & daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga, the President of Sri Lanka.

Indira Gandhi, twice Prime Minister of India & daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi, President of the Congress Party.

Prime Minister - Benazir (left) in Pakistan and Hasina (right) in Bangladesh.

Khalida Zia entered politics and became the Prime Min-ister after the assassination of her husband General Zia ur Rahman, who was also the President of Bangladesh.

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The importance of women’s political participation is manifold. UNICEF, in its report3, identifies the need for political participation of women:

• Empowerment of Women in the political arena has the potential to change societies

.• The participation of women in local politics can have an immediate impact on outcomes for women and children, particularly in the distribution of community resources and in promoting provisions for children.

• Women’s participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruc-tion is vital to ensure the safety and protection of children and other vulnera-ble populations.

THE NEED FOR POLITICAL PARTICIPATION of women

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38 Nepal 1 2013 599 177 29.5% --- --- --- ---

42 Afghanistan 9 2010 249 69 27.7% 1 2015 102 18 17.6%

69 Pakistan 5 2013 340 70 20.6% 3 2015 104 19 18.3%

73 Bangladesh 1 2014 350 70 20.0% --- --- --- ---

109 India 4 2014 543 65 12.0% 1 2014 243 31 12.8%

125 Bhutan 7 2013 47 4 8.5% 4 2013 25 2 8.0%

132 Maldives 3 2014 85 5 5.9% --- --- --- ---

135 Sri Lanka 8 2015 225 11 4.9% --- --- --- ---

WORLD CLASSIFICATION

Rank Country

Lower or single House Upper House or Senate

Elections Seats* Women % W Elections Seats* Women % W

* Figures correspond to the number of seats currently filled in Parliament

The data in the table below has been compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Unionon the basis of information provided by National Parliaments by 1st September 2015. 190 countries are classified by descending order of the percentage of women in the lower

or single House

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http://www.ipu.org/english/Whatipu.htm

Women’s Political Participation, Regional Breakdown (unit: %)

**Source: IPU, http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htmWomen in National Parliaments: World Classification(Oct. 2015, IPU)

Single Houseor lower House

Upper Houseor Senate

Both Housescombined

Nordic countries 41.1% --- ---

Americas 27.4% 26.3% 27.2%

Europe - OSCE member countriesincluding Nordic countries

25.8% 24.3% 25.5%

Europe - OSCE member countriesexcluding Nordic countries

24.4% 24.3% 24.4%

Sub-Saharan Africa 23.4% 20.1% 23.0%

Arab States 19.0% 8.9% 17.1%

Asia 19.0% 13.2% 18.4%

Pacific 13.1% 36.0% 15.7%

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http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

Women face countless difficulties in their attempt to become legislators in the world

Reasons

• Politics is considered to be men’s realmDearth of women who wish to take part in politics

Problem

Cultural factors

Patriarchal culture • Traditionally women were excluded from high positions

Religion

• Social division of gender roles legitimized by religious doctrine and practice acted to curb female potential

Modern military state • Women were excluded from public activities in the military culture

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Lack of experienced women

Woman’s family responsibility

Unfair party nomination process

Election system

Election campaigns

• Most women have been forced to have “feminine” occupations and it is hard to enter in politics trough such occupations

• It is often hard to juggle time and energy between family and politics

• Nomination is conducted through a ‘closed’ decision cycle and too often, through unfair methods that discriminate women candidates

• Small election district majority system is unfavorable for women

• There are problems associated with the generation of funds and the establishment of effective organizations during election campaigns

Proceduralfactor

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OBSTACLES TO WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN SOUTH ASIA

Patriarchal structures and conservative attitudes that permeate politi-cal life;

Lack of party support; Limited social and financial support for women candidates; Limited access to political networks; Lack of contact and cooperation with other public organisations such

as business grou ps , civil society organizations, women's organisa-tions and parliamentarians;

The absence of a well-developed education and training system to promote women's

leadership and orient women in politics; The nature of the electoral system which may or may not be

favourable to women candidates.

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Political and Economic Bar-riers The use of quotas at the national level is limited

in South Asia. Only Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan have legislation to ensure women's political participation.

Electoral rules can also affect the opportunities for women to compete in elections.

Traditionally party leaders select the election candidates,

Lack of financial resources

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Social and Cultural Preju-dice Leadership is still predominantly consid-

ered a male attribute. The culture of political competition and

political debates in the parliament, and political violence at both local and na-tional level are common in South Asia

Most of the members are not paid, local government :panchayat india

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Male-dominated Political System The political structure, culture and practices are

dominated by men in South Asia. They undercut the willingness of a woman to enter politics. The typical working life of politicians and parliamen-tarians do not recognize that women have re-sponsibilities as mothers. Support such as child-care facilities in parliamentary or in party offices are rarely present.

Men are the preferred candidates since they have a better chance of winning elections.

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what are the Strategies to Expand Women’s Political Participation

The factors that limit women’s political par-ticipation: - Cultural factors - Institutional factors

Cultural factors are more fundamental, while institutional factors tend to be de-rived or constructed.

Therefore, a more effective short-term method of reducing barriers involves focus-ing on the institutional component rather than attacking cultural factors.

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1.Introducing quota systems as an affir-mative action

2.Election System3.Electoral District System (Magnitude of

Electoral Constituency) 4.Nomination Method within Political Par-

ties5.Educating and Scouting Talented Women

in Politics 6.Increasing Political Funds for Women

What should do1


Legislative Changes Some SA countries have already progressed in taking legislative measures

for women's legislative representation. These countries should be used as an example of regional good practice. Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have taken positive measures in electoral law.

Changes in the electoral systems should consider proportional representa-tion systems with quotas of women's representation both within parties and in the parliament.

In order to integrate women in the decision-making process, countries need to set up mechanisms to ensure women's access to different positions

to create opportunities for women in capacity building and leadership which enable them to get positions in various committees

Sanctions of political parties can be a way of ensuring women's participation Legal sanction can ensure that party lists contain women for public represen-

tation. Only Nepal, within South Asia, practices legal sanctions for not im-plementing women's quota in party lists and puts pressure on political par-ties to implement these, leading to a large number of women being nomi-nated by political parties

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Relationship between Percentage of Women Legislators and Election System

0

20

40

60

80

100

30% 25-29% 20-24% 15-19% 10-14% 5-9% 0.1-4% 0%

proportional representation system

mixed electoral system

majority representation system

nomination(appointment) system

representation system

Source: IPU, Democracy Still in the Making, 1997, p.52.

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Quota system in South Korea

• Adopted 30 % quota system for women candidates in the nomi-nation of electoral district con-stituencies

• Adopted 50 % quota for women candidates in the nomination of proportional representation of National Assembly

• Every Party allocated 50 percent of proportional representation to women and accorded the first place to women

Huge increase of women in the National Assembly: 5.7% (2000) 13.4% (2004)

Current status

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Changes in Attitude Women's political participation in South Asia is directly influenced by the

prevailing conservative and male dominated culture. Social, cultural and religious norms and values play a significant role in

influencing views towards women's role responsibilities and representa-tion.

In order to promote women's participation in politics, these barriers need to be addressed.

Changes in attitude require extensive awareness programmes. The me-dia can play a vital role in promoting increased gender awareness within the society. Media can take the responsibility to educate and mobilize the public and to increase the awareness regionally. The media should not generate and reproduce gender stereotypes through their reporting and should project women as legitimate and responsible politicians

Women's organizations and other international organizations can also provide advisory and financial support during elections to women can-didates who have limited financial resources.

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Capacity Development Women who are already in the political sphere

need to be encouraged to learn the rules and procedures of the parliamentary system

Women's collective action and ability are neces-sary to link with networks and build alliances with other political forces.

Capacity development initiatives should not only include women already in the decision-making level or in parliament, but also those who aspire to enter into politics. Such initiatives should fo-cus on grass-roots women and local level leaders

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Educating and Scouting Talented Women in Politics

1) Creating permanent institutions

for women’s education in politics

Establishing a talent pool is crucial in expanding women’s political participation

• France & Korea Experi-enced lack of qualified candi-dates

Problem Solutions

• Active search for qualified new comers

Current status

• In Korea, URI Leadership Center for Women Women’s Academy for political education and G.N.P Women Power Network

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In the case of South Korea, the 17th Gen-eral Election was fierce in terms of media campaigns

The media will take the lead in terms of shaping political culture

• It is important for women to arm themselves with tools necessary to make the media work for them• Specific education programs are essential to this end

2) Women’s education through the Media and the Internet

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3) Building strong network with other women’s associations and establishing

a women’s resource bank


• Women’s organizations within different political parties should build strong networks• Parties should manage women resource efficiently

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Build Women resource banks for current and past women national and local assembly members, head of associa-tions and women executive party officials

• Build strong networks both among themselves, and with other groups of women interested in politics

should

should

Parties

Women’s organizations

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Increasing Political Funds for Women

Effective use of funds for the political advancement of

women

Independent and systemized government funding is necessary to ensure greater honesty in government’s fund

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V. Conclusion (1) Future society will not progress without making the

best use of its women. Not doing so is like running a race with only one leg or thinking with only half a brain.

It is a global trend for governments and political par-ties to allocate quotas for women in order to promote their political participation.

Women’s active political participation will improve dramatically the current politics. Once women’s par-ticipation reaches parity, the traditional male cen-tered politics characterized by authority, domination and sometimes corruption and violence will yield to politics that is characterized by love, caring, coopera-tion, sacrifice and honesty.

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V. Conclusion (2)

A key ingredient for success, and one of paramount im-portance in today’s reality, lies in the effort of women themselves, not as individuals, but acting collectively.• Women’s organizations, NGO’s, and citizen’s organiza-

tions, when acting in a concerted manner, have consid-erable power to alter both cultural and situational con-ditions to expand political empowerment for women.

• The SA countries can play an invaluable role in support-ing women’s in developing networks, in organizing and directing research, and in finding application for re-search fund around the region.

4TH NOVEMBER 2015

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Education

Womenspoliticalparticipation law making process