”MEN`S ROLE IN PROMOTING WOMEN IN POLITICS”

Men must become willing to give up a number of positions where they traditionally have been predominant. It is all about re-distribution of power. Gender Equality gives vitality to both democracy and economy. This is why modern men should, and many does, take a keen interest in promoting women in politics. In order to “boost” female representation in a relatively short time, the Norwegian experience shows that quotation is a viable strategy.

“Slogans KEO”

• Some men must become less employment based and more family controlled.

• Some men should review their idea about what is fair and justified! Why should women earn less than men?

• Men are parents too! Why should women have all the responsibility?

• Some men believe that there is Gender Equality, so long as it does not go too far and something is required from the man!

• Some men wish for Gender Equality – but only in due time........

• Men in equalised relationships experience fewer break - ups, better life quality and less violence.

I very much support Secretary Kjell Erik’s view on gender equality because women comprise half the potential talent and ability of humanity and their under representation in decision making is a loss for society as a whole. In fact, a balanced participation by women and men in politics would produce different ideas and values suited to a fairer and more balanced world for all.

Winning the men over is hard! But first of all there is a need to convince men why women are needed in parliament. It is fundamental to have representative democracy because women are 50% of the population. Using abilities of all citizens makes a country more productive and sustainable as women are more likely to put the community ahead of personal gain. Women’s representation in politics also brings additional knowledge, experience and perspective into government decisions and policies.

The way forward is through male champions who could feminize the societal mindsets and women’s representation in politics. Male champions who wear gender sensitive lens will help the society to understand how this presence-absence dynamic occurs and offer a more comprehensive explanation- to see how women are in fact an important part of the picture even though they are obscured when we focus on men. Keeping in mind the consequences of gender ideology and gender structures which discriminate against women, we must learn that where women are absent in politics, it is probably because the principles of gender are at work.

In fact, AusAID funded “Advancing Gender Equality in Political Governance” (GEPG) programme of UNIFEM Pacific Regional Office is aimed towards increasing women’s representation in parliament through working closely with diverse sectors of the society. One of the objectives of this programme is to work with male advocates like male parliamentarians and men in key sectors who have the power to make changes to laws or the constitution to support and allow for increased participation of women in leadership roles in local and national government. Women need to enlist the help of strong male “champions” who support gender empowerment in politics and who can influence other men to do the same.

There are positive signs that men in the Pacific are seizing the opportunity to play an increased role in promoting women’s representation in parliament. For example, in PNG last year, the Prime Minister passed a law to allow 3 women to be nominated to PNG Parliament. By end of 2008, the process of nominations of female candidates to be considered for appointment to the 3 appointed seats at national parliamentary level was in process. A controversial national discussion is currently taking place among the female electorate and the Opposition about the process and logic of filling 3 appointed seats versus free election of women to national parliament (this being the longer-term plan). Similarly, in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Speaker of Congress tabled an act for a bill to introduce reserved seats for women at national level (One for each of the 4 states).

Dr Priya Chattier
Research, Monitoring & Evaluations Coordinator
UNIFEM Pacific
Fiji Islands

In Arabic countries, specifically in the three countries where the project « Strengthening women’s leadership and participation in politics and decision-making in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia” implemented by UN-INSTRAW and CAWTAR is realizing its activities, we have seen that an efficient strategy to gain support from male counterparts and voters, is promote dialogue and joint work among men.
A testimonial / opinion / declaration on gender equality, even in politics, has more impact if addressed to men by men. Existing best practices about gender equality in political parties, need to be exchanged, promoted and diffused.

Giorgia Depaoli, Project Coordinator

I would like to complete my previous comment with some practical examples.

In Algeria the political party named “Parti des travailleurs” (PT), has 46% women members. Women are represented not only at the territory level, but they are in the main decision-making bodies of the party (political board, executive board,…….) and they are in almost all the Parliamentary Commissions (where many decisions are taken). During electoral time men activists spend hours talking with their women candidates’ families in order to convince them about the value of allowing their daughters being candidates. The PT is now presenting (for the third time) their President - which is a woman - as candidate for Presidential elections.

In all the three countries of the project positive changes in women’s human rights (and therefore also in political rights) have always depended on the will of main political decision makers (very often the presidents or the King themselves). They have been open to receive and listen to positive inputs coming from civil society or open minded politicians or intellectuals. In Tunisia, the first family code (1956), in favor of women, and its further updating have been wanted by the Presidents but inspired by a writer (Tahar Haddad) who was marginalized for his ideas about freedom and education for women. This will has been translated into constitutions and laws stating equal rights among citizens. Sometimes even positive measures for augmenting women’s political participation (in Morocco national list reserved to women in 2003 legislative elections, supplementary lists in 2009 communal elections, in Tunisia voluntary quota (30%) in the ruling power political party for 2009 legislative elections) have been adopted.

In these countries a significant gap between « le texte et le vecu », the law and daily life experience, habits, every day actions of people. Positive examples need to be valorized, supported and exchanged as best practices to contribute in changing mentalities

Women in politics can make a difference through a number of mechanisms, such as the creation of a "women forum" in parliament, bringing together across party lines women MPs for the purpose of achieving clearly identified goals.

Having observed the creation and activities of the Women Forum in the Assembly of Kosovo for several years, such cross-party parliamentary groups can only be encouraged.

In Kosovo I've seen how the women MPs were not only active in commenting on draft legislation, but were also in the field visible with vulnerable groups in society. They had a series of meetings with 'women householders' in villages where, due to the war, most men had gone and women had taken up most of the responsibilities. After these consultations with the women householders, the women MPs actively advocated for their concerns at ministries in the capital Prishtina.
Interestingly, most male MPs supported the efforts of their female colleagues, though few would have taken the initiative themselves. When men are invited to the initiatives of the Women Forum, the Forum is also gaining influence and sympathy.

A Women Forum in parliament, supported by men as champions for gender policies, is something a parliament can be proud of. In Prishtina, and also in other parliaments of the South East Europe, women MPs have made important steps forward in gaining political influence. However, it was also noted that the parliament leadership, which are all men, are somehow unclear which policy of support to develop for the Women Forum. So, still some work ahead.

From Lode Vanoos, former Belgian MP:

The Green Parties in Belgium used a strict man-woman 50% partition + man-woman alternate order on the list long before it became a legal obligation for political parties. In the proportional electoral system there it did help get women in parliament.

The succesful election results in 1999 brought a group of 22 greens in the parliament, 9 men and 11 women. While this was the first time ever in Belgian politics that a parliamentary group had more women then men, the media completely ignored this and focused on the ‘inexperience’ of the elected women. Of the 9 men in this group, 2 were in their first mandate, of the 11 women, 9 were completely new. (I was one of the 7 men in their second mandate)

Media reporting on the green group remained unfair throughout the 4-year mandate concentrating on ‘lack of experience’. Partly this was to blame on the greens themselves. The Greens expect their members of parliament to excel from day one. Traditional parties have the luxury of a large group and can afford to let new parliamentarians develop their skills on the backbenches. Indeed, the women of for example conservative parties come to the fore only after 4-5 years in parliament (and not necessarily to advocate the position of women in society).

Were the green women in parliament in that group less performing than their male colleagues? Certainly not, but they were more the victims of the preconceptions of the male dominated media then their male colleagues. Just to give one example, no journalist ever asked me how many children I had.

Of course there were female parliamentarians who turned out to be useless or incompetent in their work, but according to my experience, in the same way as some of my male colleagues, not any more, not any less…

On the whole I would say that quota legislation is a good and necessary step to advance participation of women to parliamentary elections but it is just that: a stép. What you need to consolidate participation of women is to change society as a whole: education, social structure, economics … So yes, I am in favour of quota and no, I do not believe that it ends there.

Lode Vanoost
Member of the Belgian Parliament 1995-2003

The first and often overlooked step that men political party leaders can take to encourage women to run is simply to ask! Studies show that men are more likely to express interest to run, while women, even if they think they are qualified, tend to wait to be asked. "Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide" talks about this simple idea in the private sector, but it definitely extends to politics.

In many societies it's seen as masculine to be confident and perhaps slightly cocky, while femininity is associated with humility. If men in parties are really committed to encouraging more women to run they must identify the women they think are qualified and then simply ask them and continue to support them throughout the campaign.