Thinking about Gender and Democracy (original) (raw)
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WOMEN, DEMOCRACY, AND GENDERED POLITICS
Gender studies get us to examine how to distinct men and women based on social views constructing them as they are not supposed to be, unlike if we see them as they are. It articulates some analogical perspectives towards individual and states within international system on level of analyses. Connell (2002) argued that "gender is the structure of social relations that centres on the reproductivearena, and the set of practices (governed by this structure) that bringreproductive distinctions between bodies into social processes. 2 This leads to senses that gender still moves on the track of reproductive domain attached to every single person but it does not ignore the practices of each as these could be out of the track (bodies).
2002
Abstract: Although democratic institutions existed long before gender equality, at this point in history, growing emphasis on gender equality is a central component of the process of democratization. Support for gender equality is not just a consequence of democratization. It is part of a broad cultural change that is transforming industrialized societies and bringing growing mass demands for increasingly democratic institutions.
Democratizing democracy: Feminist perspectives
Democratization, 2005
Increasing numbers of women have gained entry into the arena of representative politics in recent times. Yet the extent to which shifts in the sex ratio within formal democratic spaces translates into political influence, and into gains in policies that redress gendered inequities and inequalities remains uncertain. At the same time, a plethora of new democratic spaces have been created – whether through the promotion of ‘civil society organizations’ or the institutionalization of participatory governance mechanisms – which hold the prospect of democratizing other political spaces beyond those of formal politics. This study examines factors that constrain and enable women's political effectiveness in these different democratic arenas. We suggest that ‘engendering democracy’ by adding women or multiplying democratic spaces is necessary but not sufficient to address historically and culturally embedded forms of disadvantage that have been the focus for feminist politics. We suggest that an important, but neglected, determinant of political effectiveness is women's political apprenticeship –their experiences in political parties, civil society associations and the informal arenas in which political skills are learned and constituencies built. Enhancing the democratizing potential of women's political participation calls, we argue, for democratizing democracy itself: building new pathways into politics, fostering political learning and creating new forms of articulation across and beyond existing democratic spaces.
The Relationship Between Democracy and Women Participation in Politics
This paper analyses the relationship between democracy and women participation in politics. Democracy is supposed to translate into equal power relations between men and women. Evidence on the ground shows little or no connection between democracy and levels of women political participation as those countries regarded as highly democratic have low women representation compared to those regarded as less democratic. This paper attempts to answer the following major questions: is there a relationship between a country’s democratic level and the number of women in political positions? At political party levels, does it follow that democratic parties have more women than parties regarded as authoritarian? Are countries wholly committed to increasing women participation in politics to enhance democracy? Or is the signing of agreements aimed at increasing women in political decisions simply rhetoric? Is there a relationship between the wealth a country has and the number of women in political positions? Documentary evidence, in-depth interviews and key informant interviews highlighted that there is no positive rapport between democracy and women involvement in politics as democratic countries and parties have less women than autocracies. Political commitment to increased women participation by all countries is the solution to women involvement in politics. Gender should be preserved as an unequivocal goal of democracy.
The broader context : mainstreaming gender in public institutions of governance and democracy
2004
The theme of the workshop was democratic values, processes and institutions and my paper addresses gender mainstreaming, equal and effective participation of women and men in democratic processes, and the methods of ensuring genuine and effective partnership between them. The paper specifically addresses the following question: How can Government, Opposition and Parliament ensure that all their activities are characterised by gender sensitivity, full and equal participation of both women and men in the democratic process and (ensure) a genuine and effective partnership between them? Gender mainstreaming, equality, parity, equity and sensitivity are social justice concerns and for democracy and human rights to thrive it is essential that these concerns be effectively addressed. There cannot be democracy and genuine partnership between women and men if there is no equality and mutual respect founded on the above principles.
A Comparative Politics of Gender: Limits and Possibilities
Perspectives on Politics, 2010
I explore some of the limits and possibilities for a comparative politics of gender (CPG). It argues that a CPG should analyze how major political processes and institutions are gendered thereby increasing our understanding of the major themes of comparative politics and enhancing the subfield. But a CPG should also go beyond this. It should be problem driven and should seek to answer some “big questions” that are important for any efforts to achieve gender equality such as how political change that lessens gender inequality occurs; and how positive gender outcomes come about in a range of contexts. A CPG therefore has an integral connection to a feminist project. I explore some of these themes using the recent literature on gender and transitions to democracy to answer the question under what circumstances can the gender outcomes of transitions be positive.
Gender and Politics: The State of the Art
Politics, 2006
Over the last two decades, but particularly in the last 10 years, research into sex, gender and politics has become an established sub-field of political science. This article opens with some reflections on the position of 'women and politics' scholars and research within the British political science community. It then moves on to reflect upon the burgeoning literature on women's political representation. In particular, it questions the way in which the relationship between women's descriptive and substantive representation has been operationalised and investigated in empirical research, namely through the concept of critical mass. Seeking to reframe these debates, the article suggests that future research should focus not on the question of when women make a difference, but on how the substantive representation of women occurs. Gender and politics 3 scholars, mostly women, 4 are increasingly visible in the profession at both senior and junior levels. 5 The PSA Women and Politics specialist group is the second most active in the PSA with a membership of approximately 60, 6 and its Annual Conference routinely attracts more than 40 women, impressing overseas visitors. 7 There are also strong and, in some cases, long-standing international contacts. Relationships are forged and maintained at the personal level and through conferences, such as the 'Women and Westminster Compared' Conference held in Ottawa in 2004; research networks, such as the ECPR Women and Politics Standing Group; and specialised women and politics projects, such as RNGS
Annual Review of Sociology, 2007
Women's political participation and representation vary dramatically within and between countries. We selectively review the literature on gender in politics, focusing on women's formal political participation. We discuss both traditional explanations for women's political participation and representation, such as the supply of women and the demand for women, and newer explanations such as the role of international actors and gender quotas. We also ask whether women are distinctive-does having more women in office make a difference to public policy? Throughout the review we demonstrate that a full understanding of women's political representation requires both deep knowledge of individual cases such as the United States and broad knowledge comparing women's participation across countries. We end with four recommended directions for future research: (a) globalizing theory and research, (b) expanding data collection,