Topic: Women’s Political
Leadership and Participation
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
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In developing our new Strategic Plan, UN Women has identified women’s economic empowerment
and women’s political participation and leadership as two of our five inter-related thematic
priorities — together with ending violence against women and girls and engaging women fully in
peace and post-conflict processes and in national development planning.1
“Political participation” and “decision making” (political decision making in the framework of the
present initiative) are defined as an activity reserved for people acting individually or as community
members, elected or assigned with a public or political responsibility. Politicians may hold
governmental functions, consultative positions within governments or are elected at all levels of
power; the group of political decision makers also includes decision makers at the level of political
parties.
Running for office, voting for office, protesting, unionizing
“Leadership” (2) refers to the quality, capacity and the art to conquer, exercise and maintain the
leader’s function. It aims at defining the capacity to lead people or organizations to the achievement
of objectives. Referring to behaviors that may characterize the person that may play the role of
“leader”, leadership may hence be defined as “the capacity of an individual to influence, motivate,
and make others capable of contributing to the efficiency and success of organizations they belong
to”.2
Women remain vastly under-represented in national or local assemblies, accounting for a worldwide
average of some 18.4 percent of seats in national parliaments. When it comes to negotiating peace and
facilitating reconstruction after wars, women's exclusion is even more pronounced — despite the fact
that they are particularly affected and can be part of the solution.3
HISTORY OF THE ISSUE
Nature of politics: “Democracy has historically served men better than women.” Originally, women
have been excluded from citizenship. Most political thinkers and philosophers (Plato, Rousseau,
Aristotle, John Lock) believed that “there was no place for women in politics because of their
suitability in caring roles as mothers and wives.”4
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PATRIARCHY5
Female oppression is deeply rooted in the world’s long patriarchal legacy. The term
patriarchy is used to describe a society in which males assume important, often superior, roles. It
promotes “male privilege by being male dominated, male identified, and male centered.” It implies
an obsession with control and involves the subordination and oppression of women.
Male dominance – positions of authority (political, religious, legal, educational, military, economic)
are reserved for men; historically, the majority of Heads of State, CEOs, generals and legislators
were all men.
Male identification – core cultural ideas of what is considered “good, desirable, preferable, or
normal” are linked to men. Work fields valued in society, such as politics, business, and medicine
are associated with men
Exceptions are isolated: Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth I, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir
Male centered – in the media, in popular culture and people’s interests are focused on men
FEMINISM
First Wave: Suffrage6
Feminism: Feminism began with its first wave in the 19th and early 20th century in the UK,
Canada, and the US, that mainly focused on gaining legal rights, such as the right to vote. This
wave ended when women in North America succeeded with some legal gains like the right to own
and inherit property, and when women won the right to vote between 1917 and 1920.
Second Wave: A wider focus
Second wave: Began in the 1960s and lasted into the late 1970s; had a stronger focus on wider
issues, such as inequalities in the workplace, more legal inequalities, and educational disparity.
Also focused on fighting discrimination, and linked cultural and political inequalities.7
On a global level8:
India: Women’s movement began in the 1920s that succeeded in legal guarantees of equal
rights for women and a New Women’s Movement emerged in the 1970s. Still, “patriarchy remains
deeply entrenched in India.”9
Palestine (Rabab Abdulhadi, feminist activist and scholar): include such interviews?
Origins: Women’s historical exclusion from many public and private sectors, especially from
structures of power and decision-making, also entailed the absence of women in the political field.
Women constitute a little over 50% of the world’s population. However, according to the UNDP
report of 200510: Women’s representation in legislatures around the world total to 15%
SOME PROGRESS OR LACK THEREOF
Only in 12 countries - women hold 33% or more seats in parliaments
Some increases: From 1998 to 2008: Proportion of women in parliament at national level increased
by 8 %, resulting in a global average of 18.4 percent.11 However, in worldwide legislatures, the ratio
of men to women is 4 to 1. In 2009, only 17 heads of state were women.
DISCUSSION OF THE PROBLEM
THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR
Division between public and private sector: Politics was believed to not have an effect on the private
sector. Thus, women, who were placed in the private sector as mothers and homemakers, were not
considered for any inclusion or participation in the public sector.
FACTORS HINDERING WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Social and political discourses
Gender inequality in politics: In politics, where men are largely the decision-makers and leaders,
the inclusion of women is not a first priority and is often overlooked. Also, women are not elected to
leadership positions within parties and political structures because of “gender biases of male
leadership.”12
Economic factors
Economic factors: ?
Political structures and institutions
Prevalence in Arab States: UNDP ranked as second-lowest region on the Gender Empowerment
Measure; Inter-Parliamentary Union ranked as region with lowest percentage of women in
parliament13
Socio-cultural and functional constraints
A strong root in women’s rights and equality is needed to lead overall international development.
THE EFFECT ON OTHER PROBLEMS AND ISSUES
Take a look at the UN Millennium Development Goals:
Among poverty-stricken nations, girls and women are especially affected, which in turn hinders
their opportunity for education. “Girls in poorest households are three times more likely to be out of
school as those from wealthiest households.” There is still a gender gap in education, especially in
poverty-stricken nations, also because of social and cultural factors: education for girls is considered
to have less value than education for boys. Thus, in the face of low financial situations, education for
boys comes as a higher priority.
Employment: “Women are largely relegated to more vulnerable forms of employment.”14 A majority
of top-level jobs still go to men, while women are
overrepresented in informal education, with 80% in jobs
without formal contracts, benefits and security.
Eight goals, agreed by the
As a reminder of the “low status accorded to women in
world’s countries, with a
many societies,” little attention is paid to maternal health,
target year of 2015 to meet
certain needs including an
resulting in thousands of unnecessary deaths.
end to poverty and hunger,
PAST INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS
universal education,
gender equality and child
CEDAW15
and maternal health.
The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by
the United Nations General Assembly in 1979.
Defines discrimination against women
States measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, including those in the
political life
BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION16
Beijing Platform for Action:
Result of 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women
Goals: “removing all the obstacles to women's active participation in all spheres of public and
private life through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decisionmaking”17
Millennium Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women18
Global share of women in parliament reached 19% in 2010, but still far from the target 30% that
was to be met by 1995 and from the Millennium Goal target for gender parity (40-60%)
UNIFEM & UN WOMEN
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) was founded in 1976 and
administered by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It worked to eliminate
discrimination and promote gender equality. UNIFEM was active in supporting women to
participate in electoral and constitutional processes in many countries. It aimed to increase women’s
political participation and including women in decision-making processes and ensuring that they
were equal.19
In July, 2010, UNIFEM was dissolved and incorporated into UN Women: the United Nations Entity
for Gender Equality and the Empowerment for Women. Created by the United Nations General
Assembly, UN Women aims to support inter-governmental bodies and Member States in
implementing policies and commitments on gender equality. UN Women recognizes that gender
inequalities are still deeply ingrained in society and that women are underrepresented especially in
the political and economic sectors.20
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Bloc positions
HDI index: cultural marginalization existing side by side with political rights.
Pacific
https://www.globalroomforwomen.com/global-heart-blog/entry/-women-participation-in-political-leadershipnecessary-to-healthy-and-sustainable-societies.html
2 http://www.womenpoliticalparticipation.org/upload/publication/publication2.pdf
3 http://www.unifem.org/about/brochure_5.php
4 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/enabling-environment2005/docs/EGM-WPD-EE-2005EP.12%20%20draft%20F.pdf
5 http://sfsworld.temple.edu/tempress/chapters_1100/1339_ch1.pdf
6 http://www.ffaw.nf.ca/Docs/a%20short%20history%20of%20feminsm.pdf
7 http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/6236_Chapter_1_Krolokke_2nd_Rev_Final_Pdf.pdf
8 http://www.umich.edu/~glblfem/transcripts/us/BOOKLET_U_E_102806.pdf
9 http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/india/indian.pdf
10 http://www.undp.org/annualreports/2005/english/IAR05-English.pdf
11 http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/democratic_governance/
12 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/enabling-environment2005/docs/EGM-WPD-EE-2005EP.12%20%20draft%20F.pdf
13 http://www.idea.int/publications/wip2/upload/Arab_World.pdf
14 http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG%20Report%202010%20En%20r15%20low%20res%2020100615%20-.pdf#page=10
1
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/pdf/BDPfA%20E.pdf
17 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/plat1.htm#statement
18 http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG%20Report%202010%20En%20r15%20low%20res%2020100615%20-.pdf#page=22
19 http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/democratic_governance/
20 http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/about-un-women/
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