Women in politics
Parliament Magazine, 07 March 2011
Parliament’s president Jerzy Buzek is spearheading calls for electoral
quotas to improve women’s participation in politics. Martin Banks reports.
It started on 9 March 1911 in just a handful of European
countries and observed by a few thousand people.
But, last week, the 100th anniversary of International
Women’s Day was commemorated by millions and with
events all round the world, including a high-profile
conference in parliament around the theme “women
in politics”. In an opening address, the institution’s president
Jerzy Buzek said that while much progress had been achieved
in gender equality over the past century “much more still needs
to be done”.
Buzek himself said he had set an example as president, with
54 per cent of his cabinet being women, including his chief of
staff. But he warned that society was still “plagued by lack of
equality and justice” for women. Calling for electoral quotas at national and European level, the Polish MEP said he hoped
that by the time of the next European elections in three years
“at least” 50 per cent of MEPs will be female.
His demand for quotas was endorsed by another keynote
speaker, former Irish president Mary Robinson, who said there
can be “significant change in relatively short periods. “I have
witnessed the transformative impact of women’s empowerment
in two countries, Rwanda and Liberia, and I welcome the
fact that, today, a growing number of women hold positions
of political authority around the world,” she said. She added,
“But for countless millions of women and girls, there is little
that we can celebrate. The situations they find themselves in
are truly intolerable.”
When it comes to women’s political empowerment in EU
countries, Robinson said there has been “steady progress” over
the decades in equal treatment legislation, with landmark cases
of the European Court of Justice and national courts, and initiatives
by parliament itself. And yet, she pointed out, women’s
participation at the political level in Europe is still faltering.
“Clearly, the traditional barriers remain strong enough to deter
or defeat women candidates.” Reasons for this, she suggested,
include a lack of adequate financial resources, disproportionate
family obligations, lack of confidence in a predominantly
male culture, and a preference of many women to serve in civil
society organisations where the culture is more friendly and
gender sensitive.
Robinson asked, “Are we in Europe prepared to really tackle
these and other barriers over a 10-year transformative period?
Are countries prepared to introduce national quotas for local
and parliamentary elections for a decade to correct the existing
imbalance? Are the EU and national governments prepared
to provide financial resources to train and resource women
candidates at local, national and EU level?”
Ex-MEP and French government minister Nicole Fontaine,
one of only two female presidents in parliament’s history, said
that while there had been “significant” progress, she asked,
“Why was it that, when I was elected president in 1999, it
had been 20 years since the last woman president?” Fontaine,
23 years an MEP, urged parliament to be the “vigilant custodian”
of gender equality issues, but warned, “parliament
cannot act alone and that is why national governments must mobilise efforts to ensure we have greater female participation
in politics.”
However, Nikki Sinclaire, an independent MEP, who was
among those in the main chamber for the event, said she
“strongly disagreed” with Buzek and Robinson on the need
for quotas. “I believe all forms of discrimination to be wrong,
as even positive discrimination creates victims. Women need
barriers to their progress to be removed, and issues such as the
need for improved childcare facilities, particularly in certain
member states, need to be addressed. “The ideal person for
the role of MEP is the one who is best qualified for the job,
regardless of gender. That is real equality.”
According to Brigitte Triems, president of the European
Women’s Lobby (EWL), “the slow progress on equality
represents a democratic deficit and undermines an EU that
promotes human rights and democracy as its central values.”
She said the EU “can and must take concrete action to change
this,” pointing out that in 2009 the EWL launched a campaign
demanding binding measures for parity of democracy in all
EU institutions. The “50/50” campaign attracted the backing of thousands of prominent supporters from the European and
national levels but she said the EWL “is still waiting for these
signatories to deliver on their commitment”.
“It is obvious that years of declarations and minor actions
have not achieved the necessary change. To challenge the
current structures of decision-making, we need to adopt
decisive and multi-dimensional measures. These must include
targets and minimum standards for the representation of
women, changes in political party structures and selection
systems, but also socioeconomic support and measures for
reconciling work and private life.”
Download the article in PDF format or the full issue of the Parliament Magazine.
