Gender quotas can be defined as affirmative action that helps to deal with obstacles for women to participate in politics just like men (Chen 2010, 13). Candidate quotas specify the minimum percentage of candidates for election, that must be women, and apply to party lists of candidates for election. Legal quotas are enshrined in the constitution, electoral laws or party laws which force parties to recruit women candidates by a certain percentage. Voluntary quotas are applied willingly without the use of any legal instrument. Reserved seats come in many different types, some including, others excluding the election of women rather than appointment to fill the seats (Dahlerup 2005, 142). Quotas have been applied as a “fast track” in places …show more content…
Secondly, gender quotas imply that several women together are in a committee or assembly, thus minimizing the stress experienced by the token women. Thirdly, quotas create an even ground for women's participation in politics as equal citizens. Fourth, women's experience is also needed in politics, therefore, men cannot represent all women's interests, and only women can represent the diversity of women, therefore election should not be about qualifications but about representation. Dahlerup argues that women are just as qualified as men, but in many cases women's qualifications are downgraded and minimized in a male-dominated political system, therefore quotas do not discriminate against men but rather limit the tendency of political parties to nominate men only. Previous literature reveals that it is easier to use quotas in proportional systems than in majoritarian systems which force the party to only supply one candidate for a constituency. In post-conflict countries, pressure has been put on actors of reconstruction to take effective measures to include women (Dahlerup 2005, 148). It has also been concluded that quotas are not easy to implement in a case where they are not legal. It is also important to remember that quotas do not remove all barriers for women in politics as stigmatization of women politicians may increase in quota systems( Dahlerup 2005,
The contentious little book titled Women, Power, Politics maintains politics to be devalued, acknowledging the fact that only few people do vote, and women are unable to achieve within the realm of Canadian politics. Sylvia Bashevkin, the author of the book argues that Canadians have a profound unease with women in positions of political authority, what she calls the "women plus power equals discomfort" equation. She evaluates a range of barriers faced by women who enter politics, including the media's biased role of representing the private lives of women in politics, and she wonders why citizens find politics is underrepresented in Canada compared to Belgium. In clear, accessible terms, Bashevkin explains her ideas on how to eliminate “low voters turn-out,” “devaluation of politics,” "gender schemas," and "media framing.” She outlines some compelling solutions to address the stalemate facing women in Canadian politics which are; contesting media portrayals, changing the rule of the game, improving legislative quotas, electoral reform, movement renewals, and so on. This response paper would addresses the reality of a political mainstream, actions which should be taken against the oppressive elements of reality, and the awareness it brings through economic, social, and political environment.
However, the female participation in politics is a staggeringly low number, thus in the Global Gender Gap report of 2016, it ranked Canada 35 out of 144 countries (Forum,2016). Having Canadian women more involved in politics ensures that different perspectives and opinions are represented where it matters the most, in the government that organizes and creates all the legislations. Policies such as abortion rights should not be determined by men, but by women who can relate to or understand the grounds of the rights. The barriers that women face can easily be diminished with effort. The media can do its part and treat female politicians like they treat their male counterparts, based on their proposed policies and not by what they may be wearing at the time. Families and society itself need to drop the “traditional family” model and realize that modern families share responsibilities so that both parents can strive in their respected careers. Lastly women themselves need to be reminded that if they have the right qualifications, they could go as far as they want, specifically in politics. By becoming a politician, they could still be a good wife and/or mother, but their self-perception needs to be improved by those around them who need to encourage them. Female politicians would be beneficial for everyone in a community, as the standard of who can lead a country changes and people realize that women are capable and qualified as
In 2008 the first woman was awarded the position of Speaker of the House, and Hillary Clinton ran for president. While Hillary had widespread support leading people to believe that the two different genders had reached equality, there were several that doubted whether or not a woman has what it takes to be a president. The women that came into power that was generally held by men, needed to perform a balancing act. This balancing act was between the characteristics of women and projecting the masculine strength and leadership needed to hold their position (Jenen 14). This problem in society has been continuing on for a long time. In the 1970’s women had no standing in academia. That women were no use to the department they were studying and
The gender diversity is a serious problem in most STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) industry. In our company, iNova, there is a serious lack of gender diversity that we only have 24 percent female in the workplace.
All across the world there are major political parties fighting in each country in order to take control of their government. The United States of America is not an exception, as the Democratic and Republican parties compete against each other in every election in order to gain control of the US Government. These two political parties are the most popular and powerful in the US, there are very popular that other political parties have no chance on competing against these two in an election race. In order to win elections the parties need the vote of the people, the parties need for every gender to vote for them in order to have a chance in winning the election. Both parties need the vote of the men and woman, but these genders tend to vote differently. There has been different studies in which they state, that in some aspects of politics woman tend to vote differently than men. The two parties are different in many aspects but they are also similar in fact that they both need to vote of the woman and the men in order to win the election. In the next paper I will show the history of this two major political parties, and how women tend to vote differently than men.
This was backed up with the Princeton study that shows that women in the science field made 14% of the total faculty in their workplaces and one out of four reported their male colleagues occasionally engaged in unprofessional conduct focusing on gender issues (Quindlen paragraph 11). Similar things occur to women in politics. In Men Rule, it is stated that “When women run for office – regardless of the position they seek – they are just as likely as their male counterparts to win their races”(Lawless and Fox 2). This proves that women have the potential to succeed in politics, but raises the question of why it is that women are still underrepresented in politics. Studies in Men Rule shows that “gender gaps in political recruitment and perceptions of qualifications continue to hinder women’s interest in running for office just as much now as a decade ago”; and although women’s interest in politics have increased over time, men still run the show when it should be controlled equally (Lawless and Fox 16). This is why feminism is needed, through feminism women can be sufficiently represented in all areas of the
The underrepresentation of female’s interests and values is a global phenomenon as there is no country where women are equally represented on all levels of government. Since most women in the Western World gained the right to vote, there is no area of human life or development sector which is immune from the impact of inequitable gender relations. The central thesis of this paper is that women’s underrepresentation in elected office creates serious problems. This paper begins by analysing the key barriers of women to get into politics, especially into leading positions. It will then go on to the argument that women have special interests and needs, and that male politicians cannot represent those concerns adequately. Additionally, this paper describes further problems in today’s political world, such as women’s identification with
In the party structures women were not very well represented numerically and there was little discussion of gender equality except for a general ‘wordy’ way in the occasional press release and in Dayclean. Fundamental female concerns were not addressed in holistic ways.
This phenomenon can be explained with feminist theories which focuses on inequality of power between men and women in terms of unequal distribution of political power. The best example of this inequality are numbers that speak for themselves. The US has never had a women president in the history, and even though women comprise majority of U.S population, their number in political offices are significantly lower than men. The reason behind underrepresentation of women in politics lies in the notion that women are not strong enough to hold a powerful position. Because of women 's underrepresentation a lot of men’s issues and policies are over-emphasized, while women’s concerns remain unattended. However, women’s concerns and policies often don’t just affect women, but the entire families. For instance, the issue of child care or maternal leave. In many families, one parent (in most cases women) is forced to leave the job and take care of a child due to the lack of childcare, or very short maternal leave. Strengthening women’s right and addressing barriers to political participation are critical to achieving gender equality and women empowerment. I believe that the issue of low number of women in politics is just a fragment of a much larger issue of inequality relating to political, economic, and social status. Some of the solutions to the problem include increasing women participation and leadership in civil society by providing skill building and leadership training for women. Women should join activists groups advocating for women’s right and equality on many different platforms. Equal pay, equal access to certain job positions would also facilitate equality that would increase the number of women in political positions. Most importantly, more women should vote since we create the majority of US population, and if women unite and vote they will have a
...ions run on the base of widespread and equal suffrage is fundamental. A further Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women was approved by the United Nations in 1979, and well-established the right of women to take part on an equal base in all phases of democratic government. This international consensus has been tested on many occasions, and there are still a number of states where women are not granted the right to vote, or at least not granted it on an equal basis with men. The establishment and the preservation of women's suffrage thus remains an active focus of political activism across the globe.
The implementation of gender quotas in electoral politics is a mean to combat the democratic deficit that occurs when a social group is excluded from the political sphere due to structural or cultural reasons. Quotas are a form of affirmative action/positive discrimination which is meant to remove the structural and cultural obstacles that keep women out of the formal political ...
The statistics shows clearly that men have been - and still are - dominant in politics. And, unfortunately, this has not changed as much as desired throughout the years. We need to see more and more women in all positions in politics. Women who enter politics should also be encouraged and be convinced that they can perform just as well as men. Traditional gender roles, however; make it difficult for women who might consider running for office.
A major way in which women have a lower status in society than men can be seen through women in politics. There are three major key areas of women in politics which focus of these points these consist of the attitudes towards women in politics, how women are represented thought the eyes of the law and through their occupational activity. It is not unknown that women are drastically misrepresented in Irish politics today. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO, 2013) the amount of women TDs stand at 25 compared to 141 male TDs. That roughly estimates out that just 15 per cent of Dáil member are women. This major misrepresenta...
Clifford, C. (2007) Are girls still marginalized? Discrimination and Gender Inequality in Today's Society! Foreign Policy Association. 27th May, available [accessed 30 November 2011].
and wages. It will also tackle what is being done to solve this problem and what