Financial challenges and opportunities for women candidates in their electoral campaigns: A case research from Cambodia (original) (raw)
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The Barriers to Women Running for Office in Local Elections in Cambodia
Research Paper, 2022
This is a summary of the study on “the barriers to women running for office in local elections”. The main objectives of this study are: 1) to identify the barriers to women, in particular marginalized women running for office in local elections; and 2) to provide a series of recommendations and develop an action plan on how relevant stakeholders can mitigate the barriers to women running for office in local elections. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative method includes a literature review and a survey. While the qualitative method was conducted through key informant interviews. The survey was conducted with 80 people (10 men & 70 women) who are female commune councillors, women (political activists, commune councillors, and party representatives in commune, gender experts, youth group, human rights advocate, opinion leaders, academics, CSO leaders and religious leaders in Kampot and Kampong Chhnang province. The key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with 30 respondents who are political activists& politicians, Commune Election Committee representative, party representatives in commune, NGO leaders, gender expert, academic and commune council members about the barriers/ challenges to running for office in local election The results of the study show that women’s political participation in Cambodia is crucial and their level of political participation in general is high. However, the numbers of women in leadership position and holding offices are lower than their male counterpart. The survey’s results also show that women have low political ambition and running for office in local elections. Women were less engaged to run for office from family members, spouse/partner, friend, co-worker, community leader and party official. Their attitude toward election campaign is quite low. These causes by their concerns about their family, personal privacy and hindering professional goal. Family responsibility is one of the barriers that prevent women from running for local elections. The majority of women who participated in the study have low experience in running for election. Their level of knowledge, skills and attitude to become politicians are limited. In addition, they perceive the current electoral system is not pro-gender equality because it is really challenging for women to raise money for an election campaign than man; it is more difficult for woman to be elected to public office than man; and local elections are highly competitive. The lack of tools (manuals and guidelines) on gender equality, lack of education and political literacy amongst women about political participation especially the lack of financial resources, violence, harassment, lack of security in politics, cultural norms, stereotype about women in society, and the lack of skills among women are the barriers which pose great challenges to women for running for public office.
Women Political Activists' Participation in Politics in Cambodia
Research Paper, 2020
Cambodian women remain to face different forms of discrimination and violence against them in their political participation and interests; it is a serious issue although their political rights and participation are fully guaranteed by the Cambodian Constitution and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Representation and meaningful participation of Cambodian women in politics and political leadership remain low compared to their male counterparts at all levels. Despite that, 80 per cent of the survey participants acknowledged that women’s participation in politics is crucial, especially for elections in Cambodia toward equitable and inclusive development of the country. The findings show that 71% of the participants experienced violence against women in politics (VAWIP). The study showed that women in politics both in the ruling party, opposition party, and other parties face the violence of multiple types, dimensions, and at all levels. Both female commune councillors and female parliamentarians experienced violence against them but in different forms and degrees. The violence against female commune councillors and female parliamentarians from the opposition party (i.e., former CNRP) is more obvious, dreadful, and frequent than women in the ruling party or other small parties. In the meantime, the female commune councillors experienced more abusive and direct violence against them than the female parliamentarians.
Women Money and Politics, 2018
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Alternatives to Gender Quotas: Electoral Financing of Women Candidates in Malawi
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Female Candidates Efforts in Winning Legislative Elections: Case Padang City Candidates
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Gender equality will strengthen the ability of developing countries, effective governance and sustainable development. This article focuses on understanding political marketing strategies and activity patterns of Gustin Pramona as a female legislative candidate with two wins, based on data as a legislative candidate for the 2009-2014 period and the 2014-2019 period as a baseline. Furthermore, this article aims to understand the impact of the political marketing strategy implemented by Gustin Pramona in mass mobilization to become the voice of the region. In this article, adopting Political Marketing theory by studying and identifying Product, Promotion, Price, and Place. Combined with elections and women's representation in politics. The approach used in this research is qualitative with descriptive research type, and the selection of informants using purposive sampling technique by identifying several research subjects that have relevant characteristics. Our main contribution is to provide insight into evidence that women are able to compete and fight in the general election of the Padang City legislature. The results showed that Gustin Pramona carried out a political strategy by offering development-based programs and assistance using interpersonal communication. From the gender aspect, Gustin Pramona embraces women who have problems with social inequality. In introducing himself and delivering his vision and mission, he uses a spiritualist approach to the community. Another approach taken by Gustin Pramona to women is also one of his marketing strategies which has stimulated women to take part in terms of political representation.
Trends of Women's Candidacy in National Elections of Nepal
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Womens Legislative Representation in Cambodia 1993 2013
This study illustrates that Cambodia has a moderately high level of women's representation in the National Assembly of Cambodia despite unfavorable political, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions. No previous studies have been conducted on women's representation in the parliament of Cambodia. This study empirically contributes to the discussion of women's representation in the parliament by providing an empirical study of this phenomenon using Cambodia as a case study. It aims to understand the degree of explanation as to how 1) the legacy of Marxist Leninist ideology, 2) the influence of civil wars, 3) and international linkage could account for the moderately high level of women's representation for post-conflict and post-communist Cambodia. It is a qualitative study based on historical institutional approaches, phone-call interviews, and surveys. The study finds that the three historical explanations play a role as antecedent variables, leading to a window of opportunity that allowed women, including former Cambodian women revolutionaries, to establish political affiliation with dominant political groups. This in turn influenced the ability of these women to run for national elections and obtain seats at the National Assembly of Cambodia in several ways. First, the ruling party, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) had embedded the legacy of communism based on Marxist-Leninist ideology that idealized the value of women's participation to mobilize political support and acquire legitimacy. This ideology led the PRK,
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