Political Parties
The extent of women’s representation in elected office in any given country is determined by a wide range of factors, including the general progress towards achieving equality of rights and opportunities among women and men in public and private spheres, the choice of political and electoral systems, and the level of institutionalization of – and transparency in – decision-making processes within political parties. Nonetheless, within this complex set of factors, political parties are often referred to as the “gatekeepers” of women’s political participation. Barriers such as direct or indirect gender-based discrimination in party procedures and practices, a lack of gender-sensitivity in candidate selection and outreach, or an inequitable distribution of party resources among candidates are some of the complex challenges faced by women within political parties and, in particular, by women candidates in their electoral campaigns.
This Handbook on Promoting Women’s Participation in Political Parties aims at encouraging political party leaders, men and women alike, to support the integration of gender aspects into internal political party decision-making processes. It also seeks to develop the capacity of women politicians to advance their political careers. The key finding that has emerged during the development of this handbook is that internal party reform is critical to women’s advancement. A lack of internal party democracy and transparency, the absence of gender-sensitivity in candidate selection and outreach, as well as the failure to decentralize party decision-making processes, all inhibit women’s opportunities to advance as leaders within parties and as candidates for elected office.
To this end, the handbook provides a valuable overview of voluntary measures that political parties can adopt to enhance gender equality within party structures, processes, policies and activities, as a means to provide both women and men equal opportunities to participate meaningfully in political life.
Click here to access the handbook.
Public Speaking and Debating 101 is a course specifically created for women running for public office. This course offers instruction on public speaking techniques, debating techniques, debate preparation and candidate presentation. This course is organized and offered by the Political Institute for Women, an education organization that offers political training for candidates, professionals and advocates. The course will be offered online on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT).
Click here for more information.
Women comprise over 50 per cent of the world’s population, but they continue to be underrepresented in all political arenas. Democracy cannot truly deliver for all citizens if half of the population remains underrepresented. In a representative democratic system, political parties hold the power to enhance participation of marginalised groups, including women. Therefore, as the gatekeepers of women’s participation in politics, political parties are crucial actors when it comes to equal political participation and a well-functioning democracy.
This toolkit gathers good practices of Demo Finland and highlights good methods used around the world to enhance gender equality in politics. It is aimed at facilitators but it has plenty of good reference material, tools and other information for anyone interested in strengthening women’s political participation. We hope you will find this toolkit useful and inspiring.
Its objectives are to support capacity building in the following areas:
• Strengthening political parties in building their capacity on all aspects of gender equality and intra-party democracy.
• Developing an Action Plan with indicators to promote gender equality within parties.
• Supporting political parties’ women’s organisations in building alliances and adopting best practices for cross-party collaboration.
• Supporting collaboration between political women’s organisations and civil society organisations in order to improve women’s position in society, in general.