Playing Their Part? Parliamentary Institutions and Gender Mainstreaming (original) (raw)
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Gender mainstreaming and the substantive representation of women: where do parliamentary bodies fit?
Politics, Groups, and Identities, 2020
ABSTRACT Over the past 20 years here has been a proliferation around the world of parliamentary bodies with a gender equality mandate. Yet they are often overlooked because they don’t fit easily into existing frameworks for comparing national machineries for the advancement of women or women’s policy agencies. Nor have they been made visible in much of the work on the substantive representation of women, even as such work has broadened out from a focus on individual critical actors to encompass collectivities. This paper looks at existing theoretical frameworks in order to identify which elements can best be applied to the study of gender-focused parliamentary bodies. In doing so, it seeks to make such bodies more visible as a form of feminist institution-building and presents a checklist of elements to support the “feminist” label. As a case study, it examines the work of the parliamentary groups on population and development that now exist in some 65 parliaments around the world and at regional levels. Overall, the paper argues the importance of going “beyond numbers” to explore the institutional settings that facilitate the substantive representation of diverse groups of women.
Beyond Numbers: The role of specialised parliamentary bodies in promoting gender equality
In the past two decades there has been increased international recognition of the role of specialised parliamentary bodies in promoting gender equality. Such bodies began to proliferate in the 1990s and data on them has been collected by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) since 2006. IPU data collection focuses on two main types: single portfolio or multiportfolio Standing Committees and women’s caucuses. Standing Committees may have a strongly institutionalised role in applying a gender lens to the legislative process, for example, the FEMM Committee of the European Parliament. By contrast, a cross-party women’s caucus such as those found in sub-Saharan Africa may be a much more informal body, specialising in providing support to members through mentoring, capacity-building and networking. A third type of specialised parliamentary body that can have a gender equality mandate is the all-party parliamentary group. Such groups require a minimum number of parliamentary members from ac...
Women in parliament: making a difference
Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers, 2002
International IDEA was established in 15-the same year as the world's governments recognized that, despite the widespread transition to democracy taking place in many regions, 'the popular participation of women in key decision-making as full and equal partners with men, particularly in politics, has not yet been achieved'. 1 From its very inception, IDEA believed that women's political participation was, and remains, central to democratic governance. IDEA also recognizes that if the world's established and emerging democracies are to be truly democratic, half of the world's population cannot be excluded from either representation or participation. To that end, IDEA's Women in Politics programme seeks to collate different methods and models for enhancing women's political participation. By bridging the divide between the academics and practitioners, IDEA aims to provide relevant policy options and data to those working to find practicable solutions to the underrepresentation of women. While taking into account a global perspective, it tries to ensure that the materials generated also reflect an awareness of and comparisons between the different national, regional and local contexts. This Handbook, Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers, together with a whole series of handbooks that IDEA's Women in Politics programme has produced since 1, is a testament not only to this philosophy, but also to its persuasiveness among the multitude of people working to achieve similar goals globally, as attested by the need for this second Englishlanguage edition. This publication brings to six the total number of handbooks in the series. 2. A Decade On: Incremental Progress the World Over Ten years on since IDEA's founding in 15, and seven years since the original Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers Handbook was published in 1, the picture regarding women's political participation has slowly changed. Overall the past decade has seen modest progress with regard to women's presence in national parliaments. 3.2. Target Audiences This Handbook brings together a variety of authors, and draws on the shared experience of women as well as men working as researchers, politicians and activists at the local, regional and global levels. The Handbook is targeted to a wide range of actors working to promote the participation and representation of women in political structures. This includes first and foremost women members of parliament and those campaigning for elected office. Also targeted are members of civil society, including activists, academics, researchers, journalists, and other stakeholders working to advance women in politics. Ecuador: Unfinished Business. The Political Participation of Indigenous Women Case Study: Ecuador * Israel did not exist, and the Federal Republic of Germany did not hold elections in 145. They are therefore not included in the 145 numbers. They are included for all years following 145. ** Greece, Portugal and Spain became democratic in the 10s and are therefore only included in the calculations from 10.
In the past two decades there has been increased international recognition of the role of specialised parliamentary bodies in promoting gender equality. Such bodies began to proliferate in the 1990s and data on them has been collected by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) since 2006. IPU data collection focuses on two main types: single portfolio or multiportfolio Standing Committees and women’s caucuses. Standing Committees may have a strongly institutionalised role in applying a gender lens to the legislative process, for example, the FEMM Committee of the European Parliament. By contrast, a cross-party women’s caucus such as those found in sub-Saharan Africa may be a much more informal body, specialising in providing support to members through mentoring, capacity-building and networking. A third type of specialised parliamentary body that can have a gender equality mandate is the all-party parliamentary group. Such groups require a minimum number of parliamentary members from across parties and need to be approved by a presiding officer or comparable parliamentary authority. The number of such bodies with a gender focus has also been increasing. This paper uses a comparative institutional approach to examine these different types of specialised bodies and their ability to perform functions including legislative scrutiny and providing a channel for community groups and gender experts to participate in the legislative process. It examines existing parliamentary bodies specialising in gender equality in terms of their structure, membership, mandate, working methods and relationships and draws attention to their relative absence in Australia. 
Women in Parliaments: Descriptive and Substantive Representation
Annual Review of Political Science, 2009
This essay reviews two research programs. The first focuses on variations in the number of women elected to national parliaments in the world (descriptive representation), and the second focuses on effects of women's presence in parliament (substantive representation). The theory of the politics of presence (Phillips 1995) provides reasons for expecting a link between descriptive and substantive representation. The safest position would be to say that results are "mixed" when it comes to empirical support for the theory of the politics of presence. However, when a large number of studies covering a wide set of indicators on the importance of gender in the parliamentary process are piled together, the picture that emerges shows that female politicians contribute to strengthening the position of women's interests.
European Journal of Politics and Gender, 2018
Since the 1980s, gender and politics scholarship has prospered alongside increases in women’s descriptive representation. If a ‘feminist imperative’ drives us to seek to transform as well as study politics, the potential impact of research and our role as change actors has been little studied. We ask: (1) what effects feminist scholars sought to have; (2) upon whom; (3) when; and (4) through what channels. With two cases – Nordic countries and the UK – we explore the opportunities and dilemmas faced in seeking to enhance descriptive representation and aim to contribute to the development of feminist theories of political change.
Representation of Women in the Parliament: A study of trends
Asian journal of multidisciplinary studies, 2016
Abstract: With the right of universal adult franchise and all other political rights conferred by the Constitution, women’s participation in political activities has increased and improved. Today we can see women taking active part in politics holding high offices. Though their number is not very high but their capability in administrative and political matters has well organised. There have been woman Prime Minister, woman ambassadors and delegates to international bodies, woman Governors, woman Chief Ministers, ministers and legislators who have shaped the history of our country. But the overall situation is not very satisfactory. There is a difference between the constitutional rights and the rights enjoyed in reality by women. Sixty-seven years of Independence have made very little impact on women’s active participation in politics. Their performance quantitatively has been rather insignificant. With a few exceptions women have remained outside the domain of power and political ...
Bringing women in: global strategies for gender parity in political representation
U. Md. LJ Race, Religion, Gender & Class, 2006
This article discusses some of the strategies used globally to increase women's political representation. It initially examines legislative quota provisions, pointing to their multi-faceted interaction with the electoral and political systems in which they are embedded. It distinguishes between quotas at the point of candidate selection and reserved parliamentary seats, while referring to the delegitimising of women's representative role associated with reserved seats. The article then considers voluntary party quotas as a method of supporting women's political opportunities and gives some instances of successful practices in this regard. Then, it examines the role that organized women in civil society play in promoting gender parity. The article concludes that the optimal conditions for increasing women's political presence occur when political women, feminists within governing institutions and civil society activists coalesce to pursue this goal.
Substantive Representation of Women Parliamentarians in Timor-Leste
Analyzing an impressive array of countries, 'Substantive Representation of Women in Asian Parliaments' fills a considerable gap in the women in politics literature. With findings based on original interviews with leading political experts including parliamentarians, this collection goes beyond analyzing women's numerical presence in legislative bodies to understanding how myriad factors shape women's substantive representation. This book will be a vital resource for scholars and policymakers alike and anyone interested in advancing women's policy representation in Asia and beyond."-Dr Farida Jalalzai, Professor of Political Science, Virginia Tech "This edited volume offers a rich collection of ten Asian case studies on women's substantive representation, written by scholars from the region, cognizant of the wide-ranging diversity that can be found in the transregional perspective. As such, the book is an important contribution to the global study of gender and politics, more than often dominated by scholars working on Global North case studies and experiences. The authors engage with a variety of factors and thus contribute significantly to our understandings as well as theorizing of women's political participation not only in electoral politics but zooming into wider, underlying questions of advancing gender equality and suggesting relevant, context-sensitive critical interventions."-Dr Andrea Fleschenberg, Associate Professor, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Asian and African Studies "Joshi and Echle have compiled a must-read book about women's substantive representation in an understudied world region. The chapters examine how women and men parliamentarians act on women's interests in East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. They find that parliamentarians' ideas about men's and women's roles are formed through lived experiences and intersectional identities, but that institutions shape whether and how ideas become translated into policy. Their conclusions offer a potent reminder that women's presence does not always mean women's power."-Dr Jennifer M. Piscopo, Associate Professor of Politics, Occidental College "This book demonstrates how Asian parliamentarians have tackled policymaking for gender equality and to what extent they have achieved their agendas. It interests me specifically because I face the same problems in my everyday practice in Japan's Upper House. As a woman representative, I have been trying very hard to advance women's representation and gender equality. Gender equality in politics is no doubt a key to achieving gender equality in society. However, women MPs account for only approximately 14% of the Japanese Parliament, thereby making it difficult for me, as well as my female colleagues, to act for women and social minorities. The book offers abundant knowledge and information about gender equality and parliamentary politics. It encourages me to represent women descriptively as well as substantively. I recommend this book to many more parliamentarians inside and outside Asia, and also to researchers of gender studies globally."-Shizuka Terata, Member of the House of Councilors, Japan Combining data from nearly 100 interviews with national parliamentarians from ten Asian countries, the contributors to this book analyze and evaluate the advancement of gender equality in Asia. As of the year 2022, no country in Asia has gender parity in its parliament. Meanwhile, the proportion of national-level women parliamentarians in Asia averages a mere 20%. What is more important than simple descriptive representation, however, is whether outcomes for women are improving. Rather than focusing on numerical representation, the chapters in this book focus on the substantive representation of women. In other words, what do women and men parliamentarians do to advance women's well-being and gender equality? Using semi-structured interviews, the author of each chapter examines these efforts in the context of a specific Asian country. The case studies include Bangladesh