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Politics: Women's Insight

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Politics: Women's Insight POLITICS: WOMEN’S INSIGHT Analysis of the IPU survey by: Dr. Marilyn Waring, Associate Professor, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand, Ms. Gaye Greenwood, Gender Consultant, New Zealand, and Ms. Christine Pintat, IPU Assistant Secretary General, with the assistance of: Dr. Denny Meyer, New Zealand, Ms. Kareen Jabre and Mr. Oscar Solera, Inter-Parliamentary Union f Dr. Marilyn Waring was elected at age 22 to the New Zealand Parliament and served 3 terms. She is the author of Women Politics and Power, If Women Counted/ Counting for Nothing, and The Three Masquerades - Essays on Equality Work and Human Rights. Dr Waring has worked as a Project Leader and Consultant for UNDP, FAO and UNIFEM throughout Asia and the Pacific. She is Associate Professor of Social Policy at the Albany Campus of Massey University in New Zealand. f Ms. Gaye Greenwood graduated MA with first class honours from Massey University. She has worked as a political campaign advisor, an electorate agent for a Member of Parliament, also as the community and media liaison manager to the Mayor of Auckland. She is currently a gender consultant to New Zealand Asia Development Assistance Projects, and a consultant to UNIFEM (Pacific) for their programme training women candidates, politicians and Cabinet ministers. f Ms. Christine Pintat, Assistant Secretary General, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Geneva, Switzerland, is also in charge of the IPU Programme on the Promotion of Partnership between Men and Women and has been the author of, or involved in all IPU’s surveys on gender issues in the last twenty years. Inter-Parliamentary Union z Politics: Women's Insight FOREWORD hy do we need women in politics? What difference does it make to Wpolitics and society in general? The Inter-Parliamentary Union had the idea of asking women politicians themselves to respond to these commonly heard questions – not because they alone are capable of giving the right answer but because they are primarily concerned, since their collective credibility as politicians and shapers of the future in politics depends on how these questions are answered and evaluated. Basing itself on its longstanding experience of democracy in general and the issue of women in politics in particular, gleaned through a variety of studies, surveys, research and debates involving men and women politicians, the world organisation of parliaments resolutely affirmed in 1997 that "the achievement of democracy presupposes a genuine partnership between men and women in the conduct of the affairs of society in which they work in equality and complementarity, drawing mutual enrichment from their differences" (principle 4 of the Universal Declaration on Democracy). The Inter-Parliamentary Union thus stated in bold terms the idea of a specific political identity for women and a specific female contribution to politics that complements and enriches that of men for the common welfare of society. The next step was to substantiate its claim through hard facts. And that is precisely what the following study has achieved. We can now assert that, wherever women are present in sufficient numbers to represent an embryonic political force, they are beginning to initiate a change in the political environment and decision-making process and to influence the outcome of political activity. On the other hand, the life stories of women compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union show that the world of politics, which is intrinsically conflictual, is still broadly unwelcoming to women. They have to fight hard for every inch of ground and their encounter with power politics, the constraints of party discipline and disparaging media coverage is often a bitter experience. Women have to learn the rules of the game and the language of politics, while fully preserving their identity as women and avoiding the pitfall of demeaning imitation of their male counterparts. They are also engaged in a permanent "balancing act", seeking to do political work without sacrificing their family life and incurring severe criticism for putting their political ambitions before the welfare of their children. The Inter-Parliamentary Union gathered its data direct from about 200 women politicians in 65 countries who took the trouble to respond to an extremely complex written interview. We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the women who agreed to share their experience, their vision of democracy and their assessment of their contribution to the democratic process. We thank them not only for the time i Politics: Women's Insight z Inter-Parliamentary Union they devoted to a demanding exercise, notwithstanding a clearly very busy schedule, but also for their remarkable sincerity and courage and for the deep sense of conviction and hope that their responses convey to the reader. As we read their innermost thoughts and opinions, we can no longer doubt that something new is afoot in the realm of politics throughout the world. The complexity of the interview questionnaire, the extraordinary diversity of the culture and experience of the respondents, the mass of data compiled (some 900 pages of text and a sizeable database of statistics) as well as the need to protect the respondents from any criticism or harassment on account of freely shared views made the process of conducting an analytical study particularly difficult. A whole range of talent and experience had to be amassed to meet the challenge. The task fell to Dr. Marilyn Waring, a former MP and the youngest woman elected to parliament in her country, New Zealand, and today a renowned expert on women’s issues, to Ms. Gaye Greenwood, an expert from the same country, and to Ms. Christine Pintat, Assistant Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. They were assisted in their work by a team of committed collaborators. The overall structure, balance and spirit of the study and the statistical and factual data it contains are the product of this teamwork, but it was Marilyn Waring and Gaye Greenwood who wrote the basic text, which was reviewed by a reading committee composed of men and women. In addition to the remarkable achievement represented by the study, the team successfully rose to the challenge presented by the distance of several thousand kilometres separating its two halves and interacted in a spirit of the fullest complementarity and friendship. Despite the pressure of deadlines, all members of the team worked with enthusiasm and dedication. I should like to say a special word of thanks to the two experts from New Zealand, who displayed not only extraordinary skill and commendable scientific scruples but also unfailing commitment and open-mindedness. I also wish to stress that the Inter-Parliamentary Union could never have undertaken the project without the financial support of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). It is not the first time that the IPU has been able to count on its support for projects highlighting women’s contribution to politics. It deserves our warmest thanks. It is doubtless the first time, on the other hand, that women representing such diverse cultures have recounted their experiences in such a sincere, direct and comprehensive way. Hopefully, their stories will encourage people to take a more balanced view of the world of politics: behind the words, we glimpse the individual women, expressing their aspirations and ideals for the society in which they live alongside their emotions and difficulties of daily life in politics. It is to be hoped that this study, which is addressed to men no less than to women, will inspire and stimulate women who are tempted to get involved in politics and, above all, that it will highlight the contribution of women to the democratic process and show how vital that contribution is if politics are to respond to the interests and visions of the two components of the human race. Anders B. Johnsson Secretary General ii Inter-Parliamentary Union z Politics: Women's Insight TABLE OF CONTENTS General overview of the Survey ........................................................ 1 Introducing the survey respondents ................................................. 7 f Number and origin ........................................................................ 7 f Political status ................................................................................ 7 f Regional origin .............................................................................. 8 f Age ............................................................................................... 8 f Civil status ..................................................................................... 9 1Chapter one f Children and dependents .............................................................. 9 f Level of education ......................................................................... 9 f Professional background ................................................................ 9 f Ideological background .................................................................. 10 The Party Chief Whip - Eastern Europe ............................................. 11 Women's views on democracy, equality and power today ................ 13 f Can one speak of democracy where women are not involved in the political process? .................................................... 15 f No partnership in politics without gender equality ......................... 16 f Equality as the foundation of democracy: from law to practice .....
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