Dancing Backwards in High Heels Women, Leadership and Power Dancing Backwards in High Heels Women, Leadership and Power To my mother Dora Beaudoux, who imagined me independent and encouraged me strongly to be so. To Marisa Lorda, the joy and spice of life, the better of my mother’s two daughters. To my grandmothers “Memé” Carmen Romero and Elsa Greve, two brave women who challenged the gender stereotypes of their time. Virginia García Beaudoux Contents Acknowledgements 9 Foreword 13 1. It’s men who wear the trousers 17 Where are we? 20 Why are we where we are? 24 First edition, April 2017 Dancing backwards in high heels 30 Why do systems work and how well do they work? 32 Design: Poet Farmer What is being done and what else can be done? 33 © 2017, NIMD, The Hague, The Netherlands – Creative Commons 2. Damned stereotypes 36 You are free to share and make derivative works of this publication only for Why what we believe to be “natural” is not “natural” 36 non-commercial purposes and under the conditions that you appropriately What are gender stereotypes and why do they matter? 38 attribute it to NIMD, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. This is a publication of the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty 3. Leadership, that old boys’ club 43 Democracy (NIMD). Mirrored Stereotypes: Leadership and Masculinity 43 And how are we doing in the science world? 47 6 DANCING BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS 7 4. Ceilings, walls, labyrinths and floors 51 Interview with Hanja Maij-Weggen 121 Cultural, psychological and organizational barriers 51 Interview with Kathalijne Buitenweg 125 The Invisible Woman 56 Interview with Kathleen Ferrier 131 Interview with Tineke Huizinga 136 5. “Are you going to take make-up with you into Space?” 61 Interview with Esther de Lange 140 Women in the media 61 Interview with Tineke Netelenbos 144 How do princesses lead? 66 Interview with Winnie Sorgdrager 148 The pink tax 69 What did we learn? 151 “Are you going to take make-up with you into space?” 74 The portrayal of female politicians in the media 78 7. What is being done? 154 NIMD in Latin America 155 6. Equality, women and power in Sweden and the Netherlands 87 NIMD in El Salvador 161 Sweden: much more than IKEA 87 NIMD in Honduras 168 Starting out the learning journey: the first interview in Stockholm 91 NIMD in Guatemala 174 Interview with Angelica Broman 91 UNDP in the Dominican Republic 177 Second stop: The Gothenburg interviews 94 What did we learn? 182 Interview with Maria Clara Medina 95 Interview with Adríán Groglopo 97 8. You’ve come a long way, baby. What else can we do? 184 Interview with Tom Böhler 100 Equality, what equality? 184 The Netherlands, where equality is not “life through rose-coloured Some useful ideas 186 glasses” (yet) but more like “life through orange-coloured glasses” 103 The Academic View 104 Bibliograhpy 205 Interview with Ingrid van Biezen 104 Interview with Corine van Egten 108 Notes 209 What do female politicians from the Netherlands have to say? 110 Interview with Sophie in ‘t Veld 111 About the author 219 Interview with Tamara van Ark 113 Interview with Nel van Dijk 117 About NIMD 221 8 Acknowledgements Had it not been for the support of the Netherlands Institute for Mul- tiparty Democracy (NIMD), this book would not have been possible. They gave their best welcome to my proposal. I received all the ne- cessary logistics and economic support to move through each of the required stages, including the financing and publishing of this book. It was, as always, a real pleasure to collaborate and learn with them. They opened doors to me without raising objections and made me feel at home. Organizations are made up of people. In this case it was Heleen Schrooyen, Senior Programme Manager for NIMD in Latin America, whom I asked for help to carry out this project. I owe her its fulfillment. She listened to me the way she always does, she gave me her confidence and great freedom to work. She willingly joined me on this journey with contagious enthusiasm. She embraced my idea and made it her own. We enjoyed sharing our thoughts as we went through this wonderful experience, which involved carrying out in- terviews in her home in the Netherlands. I only have words of ap- preciation for this woman of great worth. I consider myself lucky to 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS DANCING BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS 11 have met her, to have been able to work together on different projects The interviews included in this book started in Sweden, in Stock- and, most of all, for the close friendship we have built along the way. holm. This was the place where Angelica Broman opened the doors of I owe the publication of this book and its original edition in the Swedish International Development Corporation Agency (Sida) Spanish to Editorial Grupo 5, the prestigious Spanish editorial. Had to me. I thank her for having invited me to that thought-provoking it not been for the trust and interest of the editors, Miguel Fernández place so that I could give a seminar on the importance of women’s González, José Francisco Morales Domínguez and Esther López Za- political participation. I also thank her for her committed and frank fra, this book would not exist. I thank them for their careful work on opinions about gender issues in Swedish politics. its pages and the quality of treatment I received. In Gothenburg, I was welcomed by Maria Clara Medina’s warm NIMD also gave me the chance to enrich myself by getting to heart and kind face, a virtuous friend who makes me both think and know extraordinary and committed people who act as its representa- laugh (a lot!). I owe her not only the time she dedicated - in spite of tives in Latin America. In Guatemala, Ligia Blanco was a very hospita- her academic activities at University of Gothenburg - to share with ble hostess and efficient work companion. In El Salvador, I was made me her understanding of the current position of women in Swedish to feel welcome by the intelligence, warmth and sunny disposition of politics, but also the time she spent coordinating and making possible Patricia Navarro. The boundless generosity and constant support of the rest of the interviews that I conducted in Gothenburg thanks to Miguel Cálix, a priceless friend, in all the adventures we embarked on her alone. in Honduras. Also in Honduras I am blessed with the comradeship Once in the Netherlands, the experts’ voices bore the names of of Ana López, my dear and cherished friend. I know that they have Ingrid van Biezen of the University of Leiden and Corine van Egten a heavy workload and I thank them for their time and dedication to who worked at the time of the interview, for the Knowledge Centre tell us about the initiatives that they pursued with NIMD in their for Women History and Emancipation (Atria). Both of them enligh- respective countries, in order to improve equality for women and the tened me, in a deep and didactic way, on the unknown aspects of the quality of democracy. complex fabric of the social, political and historical processes which Raissa Crespo, UNDP Gender Officer of the Dominican Repu- account for the “debit and credit” of women’s current situation in blic, is definitely another example of the extraordinary people, per- the Netherlands. I am very grateful to them for having shared their sonal relationships and friends that my work has presented me with. knowledge with me. I thank this intelligent woman and valuable ally for allowing me to Ten women who have devoted, and are still devoting, their lives be part of her projects, which she coordinates with great conviction. to politics are the undisputed protagonists of this book. In the order Likewise, I am grateful to her for the long interview she gave me in which the interviews were carried out, these women are: Sophie despite her busy schedule. in ’t Veld, Tamara van Ark, Nel van Dijk, Hanja Maij-Weggen, Katha- 12 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS lijne Buitenweg, Kathleen Ferrier, Tineke Huizinga, Esther de Lange, Tineke Netelenbos and Winnie Sorgdrager. Their stories, experien- ces, learnings, insights, thoughts and recommendations form the basis Foreword of this work, which wouldn’t exist had it not been for them. I thank them for the courage and sincerity with which they spoke, for their time and patience during the interviews, and for the lucidity and cla- rity with which they introduced me to their world and the situation of women in the Netherlands. Since gender issues are human problems and change must involve everyone, otherwise it will not materialiase; I would like to give a special mention to two men who have taken part in and formed part of this project. They are Tom Böhler, Professor of Human Ecology at When the first female Member of Parliament in the Netherlands gave the School of Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg; and her maiden speech in 1918, this is what she said: “On this historic oc- Adrián Groglopo, sociologist, President of the Antiracist Academy of casion, I feel the full weight of the heavy responsibility I bear to prove Sweden and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Social Work at that women are not at all unfit to be politicians.” Much has changed the University of Gothenburg. Not only have they contributed with since MP Suze Groeneweg of the Social Democratic Workers’ Party their opinions but they also have shown their commitment to gender (SDAP) gave that maiden speech almost a century ago.