Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers A Revised Edition Handbook Series The International IDEA Handbook Series seeks to present comparative analysis, information and insights on a range of democratic institutions and processes. Handbooks are aimed primarily at policymakers, politicians, civil society actors and practitioners in the field. They are also of interest to academia, the democracy assistance community and other bodies. International IDEA publications are independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of International IDEA, its Board or its Council members. © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2005 Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or any part of this publication should be made to: Publications Office International IDEA SE -103 34 Stockholm Sweden International IDEA encourages dissemination of its work and will promptly respond to requests for permission to reproduce or translate its publications. Graphic design by: Trydells Forum Cover Illustrations by: Anoli Perera, Sri Lanka Printed by: Trydells Tryckeri AB, Sweden ISBN: 91-85391-19-0 Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers A Revised Edition Editors: Julie Ballington and Azza Karam Contributors: Julie Ballington, Elisa Carrio, Nestorine Compaoré, Drude Dahlerup, Frene Ginwala, Mala N. Htun, Kareen Jabre, Azza Karam, Joni Lovenduski, Richard E. Matland, Sheila Meintjes, Nina Pacari, Sonia Palmieri, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Elizabeth Powley, Shirin Rai, Amal Sabbagh, Nadezhda Shvedova, Mariette Sineau and Lena Wängnerud. With a foreword by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia. Contents Foreword ......................................................................................................................13 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Foreword to the Original 1998 Version ................................................................14 Frene Ginwala Preface ...........................................................................................................................18 Lena Hjelm-Wallén Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................21 1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................23 Julie Ballington 1. An Approach to Democracy: Why Include Women? .................................................24 2. A Decade On: Incremental Progress the World Over................................................24 3. About This Handbook ..........................................................................................26 3.1. Background ............................................................................................26 3.2. Target Audiences .....................................................................................26 3.3. Regionalizing Outreach ..........................................................................27 4. Outline of the Handbook .....................................................................................27 5. The Future Agenda ...............................................................................................29 Notes ...............................................................................................................................30 Section 1. The Issues and the Obstacles 2. Obstacles to Women’s Participation in Parliament .......................................33 Nadezhda Shvedova 1. Political Obstacles ...............................................................................................34 1.1. The Masculine Model of Politics ..............................................................35 1.2. Lack of Party Support ............................................................................37 1.3. Cooperation with Women’s Organizations ................................................38 1.4. Electoral Systems ....................................................................................39 2. Socio-Economic Obstacles ....................................................................................39 2.1. The Feminization of Poverty and Unemployment ......................................42 2.2. The Dual Burden ..................................................................................43 2.3. Education and Training .........................................................................43 3. Ideological and Psychological Hindrances ..............................................................44 3.1. Traditional Roles ....................................................................................44 3.2. Lack of Confidence................................................................................. 45 3.3. The Perception of Politics as ‘Dirty’ ..........................................................45 3.4. The Role of the Mass Media ....................................................................47 4. Summary ...........................................................................................................48 Notes.................................................................................................................................49 References and Further Reading .........................................................................................50 Case studies The Arab States (Amal Sabbagh) .......................................................................................52 Ecuador (Nina Pacari) ......................................................................................................72 Indonesia (Khofifah Indar Parawansa) ...............................................................................82 Section 2. Overcoming Obstacles 3. Enhancing Women’s Political Participation: Legislative Recruitment and Electoral Systems ................................................93 Richard E. Matland 1. The Legislative Recruitment Process and its Impact on Women ...............................93 1.1. Selecting Yourself ....................................................................................94 1.2. Being Selected by the Party .....................................................................95 1.3. Getting Elected ......................................................................................98 2. The Effect of Electoral Systems on Women’s Representation ......................................99 2.1. The Advantages of PR Systems ..............................................................101 2.2. Why Some PR Systems are Better than Others ........................................103 2.3. Types of Electoral List ...........................................................................104 3. Lessons for Expanding Women’s Representation ....................................................106 Notes...............................................................................................................................108 References and Further Reading .......................................................................................110 Case studies Latin America (Mala N. Htun) ......................................................................................112 France (Mariette Sineau) ................................................................................................122 Burkina Faso (Nestorine Compaoré) ................................................................................132 4. Increasing Women’s Political Representation: New Trends in Gender Quotas .............................................................................141 Drude Dahlerup 1. What are Quotas? ..............................................................................................141 2. Quotas: Pros and Cons ......................................................................................143 2.1. Cons ...................................................................................................143 2.2. Pros ....................................................................................................144 2.3. Two Concepts of Equality .....................................................................144 3. The World of Quotas .........................................................................................145 3.1. The Nordic Countries ...........................................................................147 3.2. Political Parties and Quotas .................................................................147 3.3. Transitional States and Parliamentary Turnover .....................................148 3.4. Token Women? .....................................................................................148 4. The Implementation of Quotas ...........................................................................150 5. In Summary .....................................................................................................151 Notes .............................................................................................................................153 References and Further Reading .......................................................................................153 Case Studies Rwanda (Elizabeth Powley) .............................................................................................154 Argentina (Elisa Maria Carrio) ......................................................................................164 South Asia (Shirin Rai) ...................................................................................................174