Handbook on Promoting Women's Participation in Political Parties

Handbook on Promoting Women’s Participation in Political Parties handbook on promoting women’s participation in political parties Published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Ul. Miodowa 10 00–251 Warsaw Poland www.osce.org/odihr © OSCE/ODIHR 2014 All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may be freely used and copied for educational and other non-commercial purposes, provided that any such reproduction is accompanied by an acknowledgement of the OSCE/ODIHR as the source. ISBN 978-92-9234-888-5 Designed by Homework Cover photo credit: AP/Jae C. Hong Printed in Poland by Sungraf Table of contents Foreword 7 Acknowledgements 9 Chapter 1: Introduction 11 1.1. Status of women in political leadership and elected office in the OSCE region 12 1.2. Political parties as “gatekeepers” of democracy 15 1.3. Purpose of the handbook 17 1.4. “Women in Political Parties” project and handbook methodology 18 1.5. Target readership and structure of the handbook 21 Chapter 2: Why Advocate for Gender Equality and the Promotion of Women in Political Office? 25 Introduction to Chapter 2 26 2.1. Traditional arguments to support women’s political participation 27 2.2. Benefits for political party leaders 30 2.2.1. Improves a political party’s public image and reputation 31 2.2.2. Enhances party platforms and policy agendas 32 2.2.3. Strengthens political party electoral and/or campaign strategies 34 2.2.4. Combats falling party membership 36 4 2.3. Benefits for women in political parties 37 2.3.1. Expands the pool of women willing to run for public office 38 2.4. Benefits for society 40 2.4.1 Increases public trust in the political system 40 2.4.2. Impacts the policy agenda 40 2.4.3. Contributes to socio-economic development 41 2.4.4. Promotes better understanding of gender-equality issues in society 42 Conclusion to Chapter 2 43 Chapter 3: Political Parties and Political Party Leaders 45 Introduction to Chapter 3 46 3.1. What strategies work? 49 3.1.1. Institutionalizing gender equality within party structures, processes and practices 50 3.1.2. Adopting voluntary measures to support women’s political advancement 60 3.1.3. Ensuring gender-equal access to financial resources and campaign funds 76 3.1.4. Making gender a part of a party’s electoral strategy 78 3.1.5. Promoting gender-responsive governance at the national level 82 Conclusion to Chapter 3 87 Chapter 4: Women in Political Parties 89 Introduction to Chapter 4 90 4.1. What strategies work? 92 4.1.1. Building a successful career and promoting women through the ranks of politics 93 4.1.2. Co-operating with other women and acting collectively on issues of mutual concern 122 4.1.3. Institutionalizing gender equality in political party policies, processes and practices 129 Conclusion to Chapter 4 135 Table of contents 5 Chapter 5: Civil society organizations and other actors 137 Introduction to Chapter 5 138 5.1. What strategies work? 139 5.1.1. Encouraging women to enter politics and advance their political careers 140 5.1.2. Working with political parties 151 5.1.3. Shaping positive public attitudes 157 5.1.4. Working with the media 160 5.1.5. Working with academia 164 5.1.6. Working with executive and legislative powers 168 5.1.7. Staying abreast of latest developments 170 Conclusion to Chapter 5 171 Conclusion 173 Annexes 179 Bibliography 205 Foreword 7 Foreword Gender equality, including the equal participation of women and men in all aspects of political and public life, is a cornerstone principle to which all OSCE participating States have sub- scribed. The December 2009 OSCE Athens Ministerial Council adopted a Decision on Women’s Participation in Political and Public Life, calling on all participating States to “encourage all political actors to promote equal participation of women and men in political parties, with a view to achieving better gender-balanced representation in elected public offices at all lev- els of decision-making”. The Decision provided renewed momentum to objectives established by the OSCE participating States five years earlier in the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality. This Action Plan, adopted by all participating States of the OSCE, specifically mandates the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) “to assist participating States in developing effective measures to bring about the equal participation of women in democratic processes and assist in developing best practices for their implementation.” The current OSCE-wide rate of women’s representation in parliaments stands at almost 25 per cent, an increase from 15 per cent in 2000. This increase over the last decade, however, has been due largely to significant gains in a limited number of participating States, while overall progress remains uneven across the region. The extent of women’s representation in elected office in any given country is determined by a wide range of factors, including the general progress towards achieving equality of rights and opportunities among women and men in public and private spheres, the choice of political and electoral systems, and the level of institutionalization of – and transparency in – decision-making processes within political parties. Nonetheless, within this complex set of factors, political parties are often referred to as the “gatekeepers” of women’s political participation. Barriers such as direct or indirect gender-based discrimination in party procedures and practices, a lack of gender-sensitivity in candidate selection and outreach, or an inequitable distribution of party resources among candidates are some of the complex challenges faced by women within political parties and, in particular, by women candidates in their electoral campaigns. This Handbook on Promoting Women’s Participation in Political Parties aims at encouraging political party leaders, men and women alike, to support the integration of gender aspects into internal political party decision-making processes. It also seeks to develop the capacity of women politicians to advance their political careers. The key finding that has emerged during the development of this handbook is that internal party reform is critical to women’s advance- 8 ment. A lack of internal party democracy and transparency, the absence of gender-sensitivity in candidate selection and outreach, as well as the failure to decentralize party decision-making processes, all inhibit women’s opportunities to advance as leaders within parties and as candidates for elected office. To this end, the handbook provides a valuable overview of voluntary measures that political parties can adopt to enhance gender equality within party structures, processes, policies and activities, as a means to provide both women and men equal opportunities to participate meaningfully in the political life of OSCE participating States. The drafting, review and production of this publication were competed almost entirely during the tenure of my predecessor as director of ODIHR, Ambassador Janez Lenarčič. While I have the privilege of presenting this resource, I must express my gratitude for the guidance he provided in ensuring its publication. I am convinced that this handbook, written as a reader and a training tool, will motivate political party leaders to ensure that internal party procedures and practices support the equal participation of both women and men in democratic governance processes, to the benefit of participating States across the OSCE region. Michael Georg Link Director OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Executive summary 9 Acknowledgements This handbook was prepared by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), on the basis of research conducted and drafts prepared by Professors Pippa Norris of Harvard University and Mona Lena Krook of Rutgers University, experts in promoting gender equality in political office. This publication would not have been possible without the information provided by gender and political party experts, women’s civil society organizations, and representatives of both political parties and parliaments from across the OSCE region. In particular, ODIHR would like to thank the members of the expert and consultative advisory groups established within the framework of ODIHR’s “Women in Political Parties” project, of which this handbook forms a part. These experts identified the key challenges confronting women in advancing their political careers, provided valuable examples of good practices for promoting women’s participation within political parties and reviewed drafts of the handbook as it was prepared. Their input and feedback form the basis of this publication. In particular, ODIHR would like to thank Michelle Bekkering, Lolita Cigane, Ivan Doherty, Lenita Freidenvall, Maria Rauch Kallat, Sonja Lokar, Joni Lovenduski, Petra Meier, Karolina Ó Beacháin Stefanczak, Susan Scarrow, Melanie Sully, and Kristina Wilfore for their expert input and contributions to this handbook. ODIHR owes a debt of gratitude to its partners in the five pilot countries, including Jeta Katro of the Millennium Women’s Network (Albania), Elena Rusetskaia of the Women’s Information Centre (Georgia), Yevgenya Kozyreva of the Feminist League (Kazakhstan), Zulfia Kochorbaeva of the Social Technologies Agency (Kyrgyzstan) and Daniela Terzi-Barbarosie and Alexei Buzu of the Partnership Centre for Development (Moldova). The Office would also like to thank representatives of OSCE institutions

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