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Summary from the E-Discussion on Working with Men to Promote Women in Politics (March 16-31,2009)

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May 17, 2009

Summary from the E-Discussion on Working with Men to Promote Women in Politics (March 16-31,2009)

Launch Message

In the Beijing Platform for Action (1995), more than 180 governments agreed that “achieving the goal of equal participation of women and men in decision making will provide a balance that … is needed … to strengthen democracy and promote its proper functioning” (UN para.181). In most democracies these steps towards democracy centre on political parties, the channel of entry to national legislatures. Political parties around the world have been established, organized and dominated by men, who acted in their own interest and established rules and procedures that served their convenience. Azza Karam and Joni Lovenduski, state that, “until recently, this ‘institutional masculinity’ has been an invisible characteristic of legislatures; it is embedded, pervasive and taken for granted” (IPU, pp.188). However, the increase in the world average of women in parliament from 11.3 % in 1995 to 18.4 % in 2008 is an indication of the slow but steady efforts by women to devise strategies and take action to increase their numbers and promote issues relevant to women.

Women are running for public office in growing numbers, and are focusing on shaping ‘public policy-making and democratize[ing] power relations’ (Progress 2008, p.17). There are examples from Western Europe that show that “where women MPs have a mission to effect change even small numbers can produce significant results” (Joni Lovenduski and Azza Karam in “Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers”) to elicit the active participation of their male counterparts. According to a study by Mercedes Mateo Diaz of Belgian and Swedish legislators that as the numbers of women MPs increase it positively impacts their social representativeness and their legitimacy both within and outside the party. In the Nordic countries women have successfully worked with men to make parliamentary timetables, places of meeting, childcare provisions, and working hours and travel arrangements more suitable for both women and men.

Similarly, there are countless examples from around the world that present invaluable strategies on women and men working together to address social issues by fostering cooperation between men and women in politics. Considering both the importance and value of this issue for increasing the numbers of women in politics, iKNOW Politics is pleased to launch this E-Discussion. The E-Discussion will be structured around the following general questions, which can be further developed by the participants: 

Navigating Political Parties: What can parties and male political leaders do to encourage more women to run for office? What strategies can women candidates use to get support from male counterparts and voters? How can male political leaders contribute to increasing access to finance for women at the party level?

Balancing politics and family: What can be done to redress the “triple workload” of women in politics: family, career and political responsibilities? What strategies do women use to expand interpretations of “traditional or cultural” roles of women to allow for their political participation? How can men and women work together to make political parties and legislatures more family-friendly? What programs exist to help women balance their personal and public life?

Support on legislation: What strategies have women legislators employed to garner support from male colleagues for legislation of direct concern to women? What are some such laws that women and men legislators have worked on together to promote gender equality and women’s rights?

Networking and information sharing: What are the strategies that women employ to gain access to the ‘old-boys club’? How can men engage women more fully in informal political networks? Do women build their own informal networks to empower other women and, if yes, how do they involve men in such networks?

Participation

During the two weeks of the E-Discussion, iKNOW Politics received 43 comments from its members and experts worldwide (16 in English, 25 in Spanish and 2 in French). Contributors came from over 17 countries: Norway, Fiji, Tunisia, Kosovo, Belgium, USA, Canada, Sweden, Kenya, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia and Uruguay.

Discussion Summary

NAVIGATING POLITICAL PARTIES

What can parties and male political leaders do to encourage more women to run for office? What strategies can women candidates use to get support from male counterparts and voters? How can male political leaders contribute to increasing access to finance for women at the party level?

Engage in Dialogue

One of the key steps in working with men to promote women’s political participation is to initiate and maintain an ongoing dialogue. In several countries, building a constant and open dialogue within the different segments of society, such as civil society, academics and politicians, has led to positive results. For example, Giorgia Depaoli describes how this kind of dialogue led to changes in gender legislation in the Arab region, including Morocco and Tunisia: 

“…we have seen that an efficient strategy to gain support from male counterparts and voters, is promote dialogue and joint work among men… 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.” []

Several participants recommended that the dialogue between men and women be based within the framework of democratic processes and development. It is important to give men a reason to support women that is rooted in wider societal values. Priya Chattier makes the case that not only is it necessary for representative democracy to include women, but in fact provides greater talent and productivity:

“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.” []

Beatriz Llanos similarly places the importance of dialogue to within the framework of democracy:

“Can a political system in which all citizens are equal exclude nearly 50 percent of the population from political participation? Can a party defend democracy without opening its structures and giving women equal opportunities?” []

The purpose of the dialogue according to Ms. Llanos should be to:

“…build consensus to introduce changes and actions favoring equality in party by-laws and documents and in the practices of the organization, to ensure greater and better participation by women.” []

Male Champions and Role models:

Most participants agreed that identifying male champions is critical to involving men in the advancement of women in politics. Male champions, according to the participants, play an important role in legitimizing the need for involving women in politics especially amongst their male counterparts.

Priya Chattier suggests working with male champions who

“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.” []

However for men, it involves giving up power and as Secretrary Kjell Erik Øie puts it, “give up a number of positions where they were traditionally predominant” and hence we need to applaud and encourage those men who support women. [Message from Sec. Kjell Erik Øie]

One way that men can champion women is to ask them to run. Male champions play a key role in encouraging and supporting women, who often will not put their name forward until they are specifically asked or have received an endorsement from a male counterpart.

Cecilia Lero states that “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”. [Ask]

Giorgio Depaoli cites an example from her work in the Middle East region where high-level male leaders played a role in changing attitudes and championed interventions aimed at supporting women,

“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)… positive examples need to be valorized, supported and exchanged as best practices to contribute in changing mentalities”. []

Franklin De-Vrieze also emphasizes the impact of male champions in validating women’s political activities and support to promote women in politics.

“…most male MPs supported the efforts of their female colleague… when men are invited to the initiatives of the Women Forum, the Forum also gained influence and sympathy.” []

Working along with male champions to communicate the benefit of involving women in politics, Lourdine suggests finding positive female role models as an important aspect of encouraging women to consider a political career. “Positive women role models such as Michelle Obama and Rachida Dati” will strengthen the case for encouraging and supporting women. [Concillier politique et famille]

Need for research:

Conducting in-depth research on political parties and analyzing their structures were highlighted by participants as key requirements for developing strategies to work with men to promote women in politics. Daniela Cerva points out that research is needed to understand the complexities of political party organization and their power relationships. She suggests research to:

“…analyze the behavior of parties as ‘organizations’ and relate the organizational culture and political culture, from a gender standpoint, to understand the limitations and possibilities of women’s political participation and delve into the heart of political parties, their dynamics, which largely explain how gender-based power relationships are structured.” []

In conducting future research, Diana Espinosa recommends a series of organizational, electoral and programmatic indicators that were developed as part of the More Women, More Politics campaign in Colombia.

Diana Ávila highlights the need for “analysis of post-election processes.” She suggests conducting research to document “which of the elected women participated in leadership training opportunities, and who promoted these opportunities: the parties; NGOs; local, national or international organizations etc” to capture how men and other actors are involved in promoting women in politics. [Liderazgos políticos]

In using this research to influence key players, Alejandra Massolo points out the need to use this information in advocacy and lobbying activities aimed at political stakeholders both men and women who currently hold positions at local, regional and national level parties. [Partidos políticos "amigables" a las mujeres]

Role of Quotas:

Getting political parties and particularly men in those parties to institute quotas both voluntary and mandatory, was raised as an important step in working with men to promote women in politics. Male champions play a key role in convincing other men in political parties on the importance of quotas in enabling women’s entry in politics. However, some participants cautioned that quotas should be considered as the first step towards women’s participation in politics, and efforts need to be continued in identifying comprehensive strategies to promoting women in public life.

Secretary Kjell Erik Øie states that “the Norwegian experience shows that quota(tion) is a viable strategy.”

Lode Vanoost, cited the example of the Green Party in Belgium that

“…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.” []

He also says that “quota legislation is a good and necessary step to advance participation of women to parliamentary elections but it is just that: a step.” He cautions against assuming that quotas are a panacea for promoting women in politics.

Diana Ávila further articulates that

“Quota laws in general have put more women into elected office… Countries in which the party quota applies not only to elections, as is usually the case, but also to the composition of regional and local committees and national leadership, elected in accordance with political party laws, have better results in leadership renovation, attracting women from the local level to national leadership”.[]

She, however, cautions against assuming that quotas are an infallible solution. Narrating from her experiences she points out some abuse of this system,

“…the female candidates chosen by the parties for the course (who had to be recommended by the parties) were, in most cases, assistants, sisters-in-law, fiancées, daughters, wives and lovers of the leaders. The minority were women leaders with experience. This undermined the legitimacy of the process.” []

Carlos Alberto Baena López presents the case of Movimiento MIRA, a party from Colombia, where

“MIRA publicly agreed to guarantee that at least 50 percent of its lists will consist of women. The lists will also be arranged so women and men alternate. Although they will be open lists, the goal, besides ensuring 50 percent, is to use the lists to raise civic awareness among voters about the need for gender equity.” [Contribution via email]

According to Mr. López, a quota system is a practice of “electoral engineering for gender equity, and although it is just a start… [this] experience will enable us to enhance … alternatives.” [Contribution via email]

Alejandra Massolo outlines the difficulty of applying quotas to mayoral elections where only one person is elected:

“Quota mechanisms facilitate women’s access to council seats, but aspiring to the uni-personal position of mayor is like ‘flying to the moon’ in most municipalities in every country”. [] Quotas are a means to an end, in the process of increasing women in politics.

Audrey McLaughlin from Canada shares the experiences of her party to enact a quota system and cites the importance of not just working with men and male champions but also well coordinated efforts of women within and outside the party system,

“… we started by implementing a quota system for all levels of the party, constituency associations, the executive of the party, election planning committees. We then implemented a quota system for women candidates in the election, a difficult process in the majority system. None of this would have happened without the organization by women and the inclusion of those men who supported the goal.” []

BALANCING POLITICS AND FAMILY

What can be done to redress the “triple workload” of women in politics: family, career and political responsibilities? What strategies do women use to expand interpretations of “traditional or cultural” roles of women to allow for their political participation? How can men and women work together to make political parties and legislatures more family-friendly? What programs exist to help women balance their personal and public life?

Rethinking role definitions

Participants raised very important and key issues in framing the discourse on balancing family and politics for women. One participant proposes that we reframe the issue so that a woman’s workload is in fact viewed as multiple roles and identities which provide opportunities for reframing the need for women in politics from a partnerships, teamwork and trust building perspective. Narrating her personal story she says,

“I am married and am a mother, worker, professional, student, active member of a political party, and union leader. For me, balancing all these roles was part of a process of personal reflection and discussion in my family to clearly define my role and those of my husband and children… Nothing is easy… Sometimes, it is almost 10 pm when I get home from meetings of the General Labor Confederation and fix dinner for my children. Far from feeling guilty, I value it as one more chance to share some time and an activity with them…” []

During the discussion, participants reflected on the sacrifices to personal life that are often required of women in politics. Mariam Drame points out that a woman who chooses a political life is often criticized for neglecting her family, especially when she comes home late from political meetings, and that in its extreme this could lead to marriage breakdown. She stresses the need for greater understanding and patience from family members, “...enagement in politics is very deep and they [the family] can take part in it by supporting their partner [to remain] active in politics”. [Concillier politique et famille]

Mirta Macedra highlights the barriers faced by women in redefining their roles in society in general.

“…women play different roles, economic and cultural factors always weigh more heavily than their esteem. They work hard, but men always have the privileges. At least, that’s the way most people see it”. []

Diana Ávila concurs and reflects on the need to rethink the role definitions:

“…the issue of the family and triple work load is real. This often forces women to put more effort into ‘doing politics’, ‘dedicating themselves to politics’ when their children are older and more independent. This is a great weakness, because it keeps young people, both men and women… from moving at the same pace. It is most likely that the [young] woman will dedicate herself to having children between the ages 30 and 38, which is a crucial stage for her development in the political entity in which she participates.” []

Broadening the context

In order to overcome such barriers, participants recommended that we need to broaden the context of involving women in politics. They articulated the need for men to become less focused on employment and more on family. Though this may be easier said than done but there are examples from Norway and other countries that suggest that it’s not impossible. One participant suggested that women should communicate the benefits of having more women engaged in public life. For example as Lourdine says, “…communication on the benefit women are having in doing politics will lead to a better support [system] from the community".

Diana Espinosa from Colombia recommends that changing the long sitting hours of parliaments should be communicated as a benefit to men as well as to women. In Colombia,

“…the congressional sessions begin at 4pm and last until midnight or into the early morning, which makes it difficult for all congress members, both men and women, to spend time with their children… [changing it would] be seen as a mechanism not only for balancing women’s family life, but also that of men”. []

The strategy to re-articulate the issue from a gendered perspective rather than only a woman’s issue is important to state. Kristin Haffert elsewhere says, “…every issue can be characterized in a way that coveys its impact on all people – not just women”. This was identified by other participants as an important strategy in working with men to support women in politics.

Another example comes from Diana Ávila where she recommends implementing special measures to recognize those women who have held political office while balancing other responsibilities:

“…norms and practices for recognizing women between ages 30 and 40 who hold political office and participate in politics. Support not only from men in the party, but also from women. This would help raise awareness among young people to support these female party members”. []

Bahar Salimova concurs with Diana Ávila’s suggestions and goes one step further to state that such measures serve as catalysts of good practice and serve as models that could be replicated around the world:

“It is important that political parties and government institutions take a proactive approach in creating internal policies accounting for women’s needs. By establishing such procedures, these institutions can be champions in advancing women in politics and serve as catalysts or multipliers of good practice”. []

SUPPORT ON LEGISLATION

What strategies have women legislators employed to garner support from male colleagues for legislation of direct concern to women? What are some such laws that women and men legislators have worked on together to promote gender equality and women’s rights?

Non-partisan approach

One successful strategy outlined by participants on how to get support from male colleagues for the passage of gender-sensitive legislation was to ensure that they take a non-partisan approach. Gisela Garzón cites her experience from Peru where to get the quota law onto the legislative agenda was possible only because it was not partisan:

“ … because it was non-partisan. This made it possible to reach agreement among members of parliamentary groups that were political opponents, but which had a common interest in this issue”. []

Drude Dahlerup also emphasizes that “Formal and informal cross-party alliances among women politicians have historically been a strong tool for promoting equality policy”. [Are male politicians interested in gender equality?]

Niki Johnson shared a case study from Mexico where women came together across party lines to lobby for a quota law. What is interesting about this strategy is that women lobbied men in other parties as well,

“… in Mexico, to win approval of the quota law, women politicians formed a non-partisan front and adopted an innovative lobbying strategy. The women legislators worked to persuade their male colleagues, not in their own parties, but in the other parties, on the grounds that it would be more difficult for the men to ignore or deny a request from women outside their own parties.’ Ironically, the women depended on traditional gender roles — in this case, gentlemanly behavior — to persuade the men to support a measures whose goal was to do away with traditional gender roles’”. [Contribution via email]

Nyambura Ngugi cites the example from Kenya where in 2006 the Sexual offences bill was being presented to the parliament championed by Hon. Njoki Ndungu, a nominated female MP:

“By the time the bill came to parliament, it had caused such an uproar among the male MPs, who were keen to shoot it down, claiming that it was too punitive against men. It was also facing falling prey to the bipartisanship that had befallen the Kenyan parliament by this time”. []

She goes on to describe the process needed to build consensus and non partisan spirit displayed by the bills main champion, Hon. Ndungu:

“Hon. Ndungu and members of the Kenya Women’s Parliamentary Caucus continued discussions inside the house, identifying opposition and meeting with these members directly. Hon. Ndungu also met with the police, religious leaders, Attorney General all in the lead up to the debate in the House... They also began to give careful thought to the strategy they would use to present the Bill for debate on the House floor. On the day, the bill was presented; it was seconded by Hon. Mutula Kilonzo, who in his remarks cited the detrimental effects of sexual violence, to a hushed audience. He was followed by another male MP who also gave facts and figures collated mainly by women’s civil society groups…Although there was opposition during the debates, eventually the Bill passed”. []

While highlighting the need for “women’s groups within parties” Audrey McLaughlin also articulates the need to “include men in our conferences and meetings, too often we are simply speaking to the converted rather than to those we wish to convince”.

However, one participant, Susana Campari raises a cautionary note that getting laws approved is not enough by itself. From her experiences in Argentina she finds that even if men support women in passing legislations that does not guarantee allocation of funds in the budget. So even though support on passing legislation requires working with men, however, that may not translate to actual implementation: “… Women’s Commission was just created in Argentina, consisting of all female legislators, regardless of party, to monitor equal opportunity policies. Nevertheless, this special commission has been allocated no budget funds…” [Estrategias para obtener el voto de los varones]

Strategic messaging and male spokespersons

When identifying strategies to work with men to promote women in politics, most participants identified that women do not need to alter the issues they espouse to get more men to support them, however they need to strategically articulate issues to appeal to men.

However, Drude Dahlerup sees this as a dilemma that feminists face when working with men to promote women in politics. She suggests that rearticulating the issue to appeal to men and appointing men to senior gender posts might offend some feminists who wish to create positions of leadership and authority for women:

“To give an example: The former Swedish Equality Ombudsman was a male. He was very visible and influential, not only because he was good, but also – I would argue – because he was a man. However, this promotion of men in equality politics has always represented a dilemma for feminists who want to promote women to leadership positions and see to it that women are given authority even in a male dominated society”. []

However, according to Gisela Garzón this is not a dilemma but rather a win-win situation, she says:

“… it is important … to establish strong alliances among women legislators who are committed to the cause. And pluralistic leadership can be used to gain men’s support across party lines. Perhaps in the future, men might initiate these debates and women won’t be the only leaders in the fight for gender equality”. []

Aitzza concurs that “mainstreaming gender in the legislative sphere is not exclusively a matter for women. It is important to establish work teams with men and women who understand how to mainstream gender”. [Primero lo primero]

Diana Espinosa also thinks that the key in working with men is, “not to ask them to support initiatives for women because they are for women, but because they are matters that affect significant ‘sectors of the population’, in this case women”.

Kristin Haffert illustrates her point based on the strategy used by women members of US congress in order to achieve funding for breast cancer. She states that

“On gaining support from male colleagues for legislation, it is imperative that women are able to talk about their priority issues in terms that appeal to both men and women. If women talk about women's issues as 'women's issues' they will immediately lose the attention of some colleagues - including some women”. []

She believes that for any advocacy strategy

“… one needs to focus on what appeals to the interests of the others, that need to become supporters or advocates and many women's movements would benefit from altering their message - not their issues - to appeal to a broader base of men in a systematic way”.[]

Another aspect of strategic messaging is altering who the message is delivered through. Niki Johnson highlights an example from the Uruguay Parliament, where women legislators who were members of the Special Commission on Gender and Equality (CEGE) were asked to provide evidence for the need to reactivate draft bills on abortion. She states that the CEGE

“… asked that that the bills instead be sent to the Commission on Public Health and Social Assistance (Comisión de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social, CSPAS). The full members of CSPAS were men who were doctors, and the women legislators knew that most supported decriminalizing abortion. Having the new measure drafted by CSPAS rather than CEGE was strategic for two reasons: First, since most of the CSPAS members were members of the scientific community, the bill would carry more weight and have greater legitimacy in the eyes of other members of Parliament and the public than if it were approved by a commission consisting entirely of women, many of whom identified themselves as feminists; and second, decriminalization of abortion is an issue that divided the women who were members of CEGE. Putting CSPAS in charge of drafting the new reproductive health bill, therefore, avoided polarizing positions within the commission and symbolized the unity of women politicians”. [Contribution via email]

NETWORKING AND INFORMATION SHARING

What are the strategies that women employ to gain access to the ‘old-boys club’? How can men engage women more fully in informal political networks? Do women build their own informal networks to empower other women and, if yes, how do they involve men in such networks?

Overcoming structural bias

Several participants made references to socialized structural bias coming into play in the way networking and information sharing is done within political circles. This might create barriers against women that some men may not even be aware of.

Senator Grant Mitchell acknowledges that due to inbred biases:

“[some men think that]…women think differently than men or are not as tough… [but] men think differently than other men too. Determination, commitment and loyalty in the face of adversity are the several elements of toughness that really matter and I have never known these to be unique to men”. []

He urges men to be proactive in engaging women in order to overcome the inherent gender biases that emerge through all-male informal networking:

“…call and talk to and meet with every woman you can think of who might run for office if encouraged and supported”.[]

Fabiola Dapino shares her personal experience and advises women not to succumb to behavior that reinforces the social bias that men are “born leaders”.

“My weaknesses, which I must acknowledge, were sentimentalism, which was reflected in various areas, lack of documentation of actual events, etc. In politics, we cannot be uncertain about the economic and social situation in which we live. We have to understand the legal foundation of our arguments and look to the future to foresee consequences. And I think many of us must lower the emotional tone. While it can help to raise awareness about issues, in excess it can be a weakness that allows the “men’s club” to put a “NO ADMITTANCE” sign up for us”. []

Diana Ávila builds on this, by encouraging women to get involved in portfolios that might not be traditionally seen as “women’s issues” or areas of women’s interests, such as defense or economics:

“…it is important to get involved in the issues men are working on, such as security, defense, economics or mining, that do not involve the domestic sphere. In the struggle over soup kitchens, Glass of Milk programs, domestic violence, we always find women and it is possible to establish alliances with other political organizations. The key is to get involved in matters of POWER!!!!” []

However, Olfa Tantawi, warns against women having to “disguise as men in order to get their chance in politics”. She says:

“…there is dire need to promote a respect of women, of being a woman. Being a woman is a privilege as much as being a man is also a privilege”. []

According to Ms. Tantawi, to ensure a balanced two way process networking and information sharing needs to “allow women to be what they are, and to respect their femininity” and bring not only the “experience and education and all the qualifications of a man, but also she will have an added plus value of a woman vision”. [In response to comments from Sen. Grant Mitchell]

Alejandra Massolo highlights the fact, that in the end, it is up to women themselves to fight to overcome social and structural bias and to demand their rights:

“Without ignoring the support and solidarity of certain men, it is women who have always sought, pursued, demanded, convened and even forced men to act when and where it has been necessary, to achieve recognition and legitimacy and enshrine their political and civil rights, including recent victories, such as electoral quotas. This observation is to share critical reflections about the phrase “working with men,” so they support and foster greater political participation by women”. []

There are great strides to be made before politics can be a level-playing field. Bahar Salimova points out that,

“…it is important that within our families and cultures we encourage and empower women from their young ages to take leadership opportunities and to believe in themselves as individuals who can make a difference”. []

Inclusive politics: a learning responsibility for men

To make politics a level-playing-field for both men and women is a process and requires significant effort. Kevin Deveaux argues that it is men who need to learn,

“Informal opportunities (sometimes called learning opportunities) must be found to provide knowledge to men in positions of power to address the bias and to ensure the rules of the game (politics) are more equitable”. []

Michel Rowland also sees the learning process critical to making politics inclusive for all:

“I suggest that … actively involve the men ... Many men do not understand the scope of the issue and proposals. The more men learn about gender, the more likely they are to be receptive to the demands of their female colleagues”. []

However, Alejandra Massolo points out that providing learning opportunities is as much a responsibility of men as it is for women to find. According to Alejandra,

“Of course, invitations to the workshops are always extended to both men and women in local governments, but because it is a “women’s issue,” men rarely participate. A few come voluntarily and in good faith, but the rest are required to attend by an order from the mayor or for bureaucratic reasons. But women are expected to have the responsibility and the mandate to make men participate when women’s rights and gender equality are discussed. The same thing happens with concepts of masculinity: we are asked to take responsibility for the issue…”. []

Gina Chacón provides a case study from Peru of women finding learning opportunities for themselves and of

“…forming networks and associations of women authorities, where shared learning, training and taking action together are key… we have seen women authorities use this strategy to get into local government. They formed groups in each department/region, and now they meet at the national level. By organizing, women authorities … gain access to opportunities for training not provided by the political party for which they ran for office…”. []

Another example comes from María Eugenia Rojas where she highlights efforts at the local government level in Bolivia where,

“…the NGO CISTAC proposed involving men in local governments as strategic partners in combating gender violence. A project called, ‘Model for questioning power relationships that lead to political violence in municipal government: working on masculinity’, was implemented to help change male value structures, attitudes and behaviors”. []

Margot Nivin Vargas shares the work from her city,

“…here in my city, Huaraz, in Ancash, Peru, we had a workshop with men to discuss the Equal Opportunity Plan for Ancash. There was little participation, but it is important to discuss this issue in the parties, raise men’s awareness and, especially, make them understand that without women’s participation, there is no democracy”. []

Alejandra Massolo suggests “changing the rules of the game also means changing women’s strategies for working with men, strategies much more focused on who and where, and with much greater impact” to be able to make politics a level playing ground for all. [Trabajando con los hombres y estrategias]

CONCLUSION

During the course of the E-discussion, participants reflected on various experiences, existing strategies and barriers in working with men to promote women in politics. Some of these barriers were identified as: viewing women’s political participation as a “women’s issue” as opposed to a matter of democratic rights; lack of information by women about political processes, imbalances between men and women regarding family obligations, closed political cultures, socialization of men and women, and assumptions that women are different from men and are not as aggressive and hence, not suitable for politics. Some participants also pointed to the fact that working with men should be a two way process.

The participants highlighted the benefit of quotas as one of the mechanisms through which men and women can work together to change the political system and encourage women to run for political office both at national and local levels of government. Some strategies that were highlighted included:

Engaging in ongoing dialogue with men
Identifying and encouraging ‘male champions’ of gender equality
Reframing issues so that they are not perceived as only women’s issues but those that impact the society as a whole;
Consciously negating stereotypes of women leaders
Using research on political party structures and processes to develop better informed strategies for women
Taking a non-partisan approach and involving civil society organizations, women’s groups, academics and other actors
More awareness of work-life balance between men and women, including more gender-sensitive sitting hours for parliaments


The E-discussion also brought forth recommendations from male politicians for other men on ways they can encourage women such as:

calling and supporting women who may want to run for office
publicly criticizing sexist comments
encouraging girls from an early age to take up leadership roles
being aware of inbred bias’s in their own decision making and attitudes toward female staff and colleagues
Engaging pro-actively with women and seeking learning opportunities


During the E-discussion, participants agreed that working with men is vital, and both men and women need to work together to achieve a level playing field in politics.

PARTICIPANTS

Alejandra Massolo, Mexico

Audrey McLaughlin, Canada

Bahar Salimova, Knowledge Management Specialist, iKNOW Politics

Beatriz Llanos, Lawyer and Journalist, Peru

Carlos Alberto Baena López, President Movimiento MIRA, Colombia

Cecilia Lero, National Democratic Institute, USA Daniela Cerva, UNAM, Mexico

Diana Ávila, Peru

Diana Espinosa, Coordinator More Women, More Politics Campaign, Colombia

Drude Dahlerup, Stockholm University

Fabiola Dapino, Peru

Franklin De-Vrieze, UNDP

Gina Chacón, Peru

Giorgia Depaoli, UN-INSTRAW

Gisela Garzón de la Roza, Inter-American Development Bank, USA

Grant Mitchell, Senator for Alberta, Canada

Kevin Deveaux, Parliamentary Policy Adviser, UNDP

Kjell Erik Øie, Secretary Ministry of Children and Equality, Norway

Kristin Haffert, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, USA

Lode Vanoost, Ex-Member of Belgian Parliament

Margot Nivin Vargas, Secretary General of Peru Posible, Peru

María Eugenia Rojas Valverde, ACOBOL, Bolivia

Mariam Drame, Regional Coordinator Sub-Saharan Africa, IKNOW Politics

Michel Rowland, Resident Director, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Bolivia

Mirta Macedra, Fundación Brotar, Argentina

Niki Johnson, Uruguay

Nyambura Ngugi, UNIFEM

Olfa Tantawi, The American University of Cairo

Priya Chattier, UNIFEM

Susana Campari, Argentina

Resource type

Launch Message

In the Beijing Platform for Action (1995), more than 180 governments agreed that “achieving the goal of equal participation of women and men in decision making will provide a balance that … is needed … to strengthen democracy and promote its proper functioning” (UN para.181). In most democracies these steps towards democracy centre on political parties, the channel of entry to national legislatures. Political parties around the world have been established, organized and dominated by men, who acted in their own interest and established rules and procedures that served their convenience. Azza Karam and Joni Lovenduski, state that, “until recently, this ‘institutional masculinity’ has been an invisible characteristic of legislatures; it is embedded, pervasive and taken for granted” (IPU, pp.188). However, the increase in the world average of women in parliament from 11.3 % in 1995 to 18.4 % in 2008 is an indication of the slow but steady efforts by women to devise strategies and take action to increase their numbers and promote issues relevant to women.

Women are running for public office in growing numbers, and are focusing on shaping ‘public policy-making and democratize[ing] power relations’ (Progress 2008, p.17). There are examples from Western Europe that show that “where women MPs have a mission to effect change even small numbers can produce significant results” (Joni Lovenduski and Azza Karam in “Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers”) to elicit the active participation of their male counterparts. According to a study by Mercedes Mateo Diaz of Belgian and Swedish legislators that as the numbers of women MPs increase it positively impacts their social representativeness and their legitimacy both within and outside the party. In the Nordic countries women have successfully worked with men to make parliamentary timetables, places of meeting, childcare provisions, and working hours and travel arrangements more suitable for both women and men.

Similarly, there are countless examples from around the world that present invaluable strategies on women and men working together to address social issues by fostering cooperation between men and women in politics. Considering both the importance and value of this issue for increasing the numbers of women in politics, iKNOW Politics is pleased to launch this E-Discussion. The E-Discussion will be structured around the following general questions, which can be further developed by the participants: 

Navigating Political Parties: What can parties and male political leaders do to encourage more women to run for office? What strategies can women candidates use to get support from male counterparts and voters? How can male political leaders contribute to increasing access to finance for women at the party level?

Balancing politics and family: What can be done to redress the “triple workload” of women in politics: family, career and political responsibilities? What strategies do women use to expand interpretations of “traditional or cultural” roles of women to allow for their political participation? How can men and women work together to make political parties and legislatures more family-friendly? What programs exist to help women balance their personal and public life?

Support on legislation: What strategies have women legislators employed to garner support from male colleagues for legislation of direct concern to women? What are some such laws that women and men legislators have worked on together to promote gender equality and women’s rights?

Networking and information sharing: What are the strategies that women employ to gain access to the ‘old-boys club’? How can men engage women more fully in informal political networks? Do women build their own informal networks to empower other women and, if yes, how do they involve men in such networks?

Participation

During the two weeks of the E-Discussion, iKNOW Politics received 43 comments from its members and experts worldwide (16 in English, 25 in Spanish and 2 in French). Contributors came from over 17 countries: Norway, Fiji, Tunisia, Kosovo, Belgium, USA, Canada, Sweden, Kenya, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia and Uruguay.

Discussion Summary

NAVIGATING POLITICAL PARTIES

What can parties and male political leaders do to encourage more women to run for office? What strategies can women candidates use to get support from male counterparts and voters? How can male political leaders contribute to increasing access to finance for women at the party level?

Engage in Dialogue

One of the key steps in working with men to promote women’s political participation is to initiate and maintain an ongoing dialogue. In several countries, building a constant and open dialogue within the different segments of society, such as civil society, academics and politicians, has led to positive results. For example, Giorgia Depaoli describes how this kind of dialogue led to changes in gender legislation in the Arab region, including Morocco and Tunisia: 

“…we have seen that an efficient strategy to gain support from male counterparts and voters, is promote dialogue and joint work among men… 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.” []

Several participants recommended that the dialogue between men and women be based within the framework of democratic processes and development. It is important to give men a reason to support women that is rooted in wider societal values. Priya Chattier makes the case that not only is it necessary for representative democracy to include women, but in fact provides greater talent and productivity:

“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.” []

Beatriz Llanos similarly places the importance of dialogue to within the framework of democracy:

“Can a political system in which all citizens are equal exclude nearly 50 percent of the population from political participation? Can a party defend democracy without opening its structures and giving women equal opportunities?” []

The purpose of the dialogue according to Ms. Llanos should be to:

“…build consensus to introduce changes and actions favoring equality in party by-laws and documents and in the practices of the organization, to ensure greater and better participation by women.” []

Male Champions and Role models:

Most participants agreed that identifying male champions is critical to involving men in the advancement of women in politics. Male champions, according to the participants, play an important role in legitimizing the need for involving women in politics especially amongst their male counterparts.

Priya Chattier suggests working with male champions who

“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.” []

However for men, it involves giving up power and as Secretrary Kjell Erik Øie puts it, “give up a number of positions where they were traditionally predominant” and hence we need to applaud and encourage those men who support women. [Message from Sec. Kjell Erik Øie]

One way that men can champion women is to ask them to run. Male champions play a key role in encouraging and supporting women, who often will not put their name forward until they are specifically asked or have received an endorsement from a male counterpart.

Cecilia Lero states that “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”. [Ask]

Giorgio Depaoli cites an example from her work in the Middle East region where high-level male leaders played a role in changing attitudes and championed interventions aimed at supporting women,

“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)… positive examples need to be valorized, supported and exchanged as best practices to contribute in changing mentalities”. []

Franklin De-Vrieze also emphasizes the impact of male champions in validating women’s political activities and support to promote women in politics.

“…most male MPs supported the efforts of their female colleague… when men are invited to the initiatives of the Women Forum, the Forum also gained influence and sympathy.” []

Working along with male champions to communicate the benefit of involving women in politics, Lourdine suggests finding positive female role models as an important aspect of encouraging women to consider a political career. “Positive women role models such as Michelle Obama and Rachida Dati” will strengthen the case for encouraging and supporting women. [Concillier politique et famille]

Need for research:

Conducting in-depth research on political parties and analyzing their structures were highlighted by participants as key requirements for developing strategies to work with men to promote women in politics. Daniela Cerva points out that research is needed to understand the complexities of political party organization and their power relationships. She suggests research to:

“…analyze the behavior of parties as ‘organizations’ and relate the organizational culture and political culture, from a gender standpoint, to understand the limitations and possibilities of women’s political participation and delve into the heart of political parties, their dynamics, which largely explain how gender-based power relationships are structured.” []

In conducting future research, Diana Espinosa recommends a series of organizational, electoral and programmatic indicators that were developed as part of the More Women, More Politics campaign in Colombia.

Diana Ávila highlights the need for “analysis of post-election processes.” She suggests conducting research to document “which of the elected women participated in leadership training opportunities, and who promoted these opportunities: the parties; NGOs; local, national or international organizations etc” to capture how men and other actors are involved in promoting women in politics. [Liderazgos políticos]

In using this research to influence key players, Alejandra Massolo points out the need to use this information in advocacy and lobbying activities aimed at political stakeholders both men and women who currently hold positions at local, regional and national level parties. [Partidos políticos "amigables" a las mujeres]

Role of Quotas:

Getting political parties and particularly men in those parties to institute quotas both voluntary and mandatory, was raised as an important step in working with men to promote women in politics. Male champions play a key role in convincing other men in political parties on the importance of quotas in enabling women’s entry in politics. However, some participants cautioned that quotas should be considered as the first step towards women’s participation in politics, and efforts need to be continued in identifying comprehensive strategies to promoting women in public life.

Secretary Kjell Erik Øie states that “the Norwegian experience shows that quota(tion) is a viable strategy.”

Lode Vanoost, cited the example of the Green Party in Belgium that

“…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.” []

He also says that “quota legislation is a good and necessary step to advance participation of women to parliamentary elections but it is just that: a step.” He cautions against assuming that quotas are a panacea for promoting women in politics.

Diana Ávila further articulates that

“Quota laws in general have put more women into elected office… Countries in which the party quota applies not only to elections, as is usually the case, but also to the composition of regional and local committees and national leadership, elected in accordance with political party laws, have better results in leadership renovation, attracting women from the local level to national leadership”.[]

She, however, cautions against assuming that quotas are an infallible solution. Narrating from her experiences she points out some abuse of this system,

“…the female candidates chosen by the parties for the course (who had to be recommended by the parties) were, in most cases, assistants, sisters-in-law, fiancées, daughters, wives and lovers of the leaders. The minority were women leaders with experience. This undermined the legitimacy of the process.” []

Carlos Alberto Baena López presents the case of Movimiento MIRA, a party from Colombia, where

“MIRA publicly agreed to guarantee that at least 50 percent of its lists will consist of women. The lists will also be arranged so women and men alternate. Although they will be open lists, the goal, besides ensuring 50 percent, is to use the lists to raise civic awareness among voters about the need for gender equity.” [Contribution via email]

According to Mr. López, a quota system is a practice of “electoral engineering for gender equity, and although it is just a start… [this] experience will enable us to enhance … alternatives.” [Contribution via email]

Alejandra Massolo outlines the difficulty of applying quotas to mayoral elections where only one person is elected:

“Quota mechanisms facilitate women’s access to council seats, but aspiring to the uni-personal position of mayor is like ‘flying to the moon’ in most municipalities in every country”. [] Quotas are a means to an end, in the process of increasing women in politics.

Audrey McLaughlin from Canada shares the experiences of her party to enact a quota system and cites the importance of not just working with men and male champions but also well coordinated efforts of women within and outside the party system,

“… we started by implementing a quota system for all levels of the party, constituency associations, the executive of the party, election planning committees. We then implemented a quota system for women candidates in the election, a difficult process in the majority system. None of this would have happened without the organization by women and the inclusion of those men who supported the goal.” []

BALANCING POLITICS AND FAMILY

What can be done to redress the “triple workload” of women in politics: family, career and political responsibilities? What strategies do women use to expand interpretations of “traditional or cultural” roles of women to allow for their political participation? How can men and women work together to make political parties and legislatures more family-friendly? What programs exist to help women balance their personal and public life?

Rethinking role definitions

Participants raised very important and key issues in framing the discourse on balancing family and politics for women. One participant proposes that we reframe the issue so that a woman’s workload is in fact viewed as multiple roles and identities which provide opportunities for reframing the need for women in politics from a partnerships, teamwork and trust building perspective. Narrating her personal story she says,

“I am married and am a mother, worker, professional, student, active member of a political party, and union leader. For me, balancing all these roles was part of a process of personal reflection and discussion in my family to clearly define my role and those of my husband and children… Nothing is easy… Sometimes, it is almost 10 pm when I get home from meetings of the General Labor Confederation and fix dinner for my children. Far from feeling guilty, I value it as one more chance to share some time and an activity with them…” []

During the discussion, participants reflected on the sacrifices to personal life that are often required of women in politics. Mariam Drame points out that a woman who chooses a political life is often criticized for neglecting her family, especially when she comes home late from political meetings, and that in its extreme this could lead to marriage breakdown. She stresses the need for greater understanding and patience from family members, “...enagement in politics is very deep and they [the family] can take part in it by supporting their partner [to remain] active in politics”. [Concillier politique et famille]

Mirta Macedra highlights the barriers faced by women in redefining their roles in society in general.

“…women play different roles, economic and cultural factors always weigh more heavily than their esteem. They work hard, but men always have the privileges. At least, that’s the way most people see it”. []

Diana Ávila concurs and reflects on the need to rethink the role definitions:

“…the issue of the family and triple work load is real. This often forces women to put more effort into ‘doing politics’, ‘dedicating themselves to politics’ when their children are older and more independent. This is a great weakness, because it keeps young people, both men and women… from moving at the same pace. It is most likely that the [young] woman will dedicate herself to having children between the ages 30 and 38, which is a crucial stage for her development in the political entity in which she participates.” []

Broadening the context

In order to overcome such barriers, participants recommended that we need to broaden the context of involving women in politics. They articulated the need for men to become less focused on employment and more on family. Though this may be easier said than done but there are examples from Norway and other countries that suggest that it’s not impossible. One participant suggested that women should communicate the benefits of having more women engaged in public life. For example as Lourdine says, “…communication on the benefit women are having in doing politics will lead to a better support [system] from the community".

Diana Espinosa from Colombia recommends that changing the long sitting hours of parliaments should be communicated as a benefit to men as well as to women. In Colombia,

“…the congressional sessions begin at 4pm and last until midnight or into the early morning, which makes it difficult for all congress members, both men and women, to spend time with their children… [changing it would] be seen as a mechanism not only for balancing women’s family life, but also that of men”. []

The strategy to re-articulate the issue from a gendered perspective rather than only a woman’s issue is important to state. Kristin Haffert elsewhere says, “…every issue can be characterized in a way that coveys its impact on all people – not just women”. This was identified by other participants as an important strategy in working with men to support women in politics.

Another example comes from Diana Ávila where she recommends implementing special measures to recognize those women who have held political office while balancing other responsibilities:

“…norms and practices for recognizing women between ages 30 and 40 who hold political office and participate in politics. Support not only from men in the party, but also from women. This would help raise awareness among young people to support these female party members”. []

Bahar Salimova concurs with Diana Ávila’s suggestions and goes one step further to state that such measures serve as catalysts of good practice and serve as models that could be replicated around the world:

“It is important that political parties and government institutions take a proactive approach in creating internal policies accounting for women’s needs. By establishing such procedures, these institutions can be champions in advancing women in politics and serve as catalysts or multipliers of good practice”. []

SUPPORT ON LEGISLATION

What strategies have women legislators employed to garner support from male colleagues for legislation of direct concern to women? What are some such laws that women and men legislators have worked on together to promote gender equality and women’s rights?

Non-partisan approach

One successful strategy outlined by participants on how to get support from male colleagues for the passage of gender-sensitive legislation was to ensure that they take a non-partisan approach. Gisela Garzón cites her experience from Peru where to get the quota law onto the legislative agenda was possible only because it was not partisan:

“ … because it was non-partisan. This made it possible to reach agreement among members of parliamentary groups that were political opponents, but which had a common interest in this issue”. []

Drude Dahlerup also emphasizes that “Formal and informal cross-party alliances among women politicians have historically been a strong tool for promoting equality policy”. [Are male politicians interested in gender equality?]

Niki Johnson shared a case study from Mexico where women came together across party lines to lobby for a quota law. What is interesting about this strategy is that women lobbied men in other parties as well,

“… in Mexico, to win approval of the quota law, women politicians formed a non-partisan front and adopted an innovative lobbying strategy. The women legislators worked to persuade their male colleagues, not in their own parties, but in the other parties, on the grounds that it would be more difficult for the men to ignore or deny a request from women outside their own parties.’ Ironically, the women depended on traditional gender roles — in this case, gentlemanly behavior — to persuade the men to support a measures whose goal was to do away with traditional gender roles’”. [Contribution via email]

Nyambura Ngugi cites the example from Kenya where in 2006 the Sexual offences bill was being presented to the parliament championed by Hon. Njoki Ndungu, a nominated female MP:

“By the time the bill came to parliament, it had caused such an uproar among the male MPs, who were keen to shoot it down, claiming that it was too punitive against men. It was also facing falling prey to the bipartisanship that had befallen the Kenyan parliament by this time”. []

She goes on to describe the process needed to build consensus and non partisan spirit displayed by the bills main champion, Hon. Ndungu:

“Hon. Ndungu and members of the Kenya Women’s Parliamentary Caucus continued discussions inside the house, identifying opposition and meeting with these members directly. Hon. Ndungu also met with the police, religious leaders, Attorney General all in the lead up to the debate in the House... They also began to give careful thought to the strategy they would use to present the Bill for debate on the House floor. On the day, the bill was presented; it was seconded by Hon. Mutula Kilonzo, who in his remarks cited the detrimental effects of sexual violence, to a hushed audience. He was followed by another male MP who also gave facts and figures collated mainly by women’s civil society groups…Although there was opposition during the debates, eventually the Bill passed”. []

While highlighting the need for “women’s groups within parties” Audrey McLaughlin also articulates the need to “include men in our conferences and meetings, too often we are simply speaking to the converted rather than to those we wish to convince”.

However, one participant, Susana Campari raises a cautionary note that getting laws approved is not enough by itself. From her experiences in Argentina she finds that even if men support women in passing legislations that does not guarantee allocation of funds in the budget. So even though support on passing legislation requires working with men, however, that may not translate to actual implementation: “… Women’s Commission was just created in Argentina, consisting of all female legislators, regardless of party, to monitor equal opportunity policies. Nevertheless, this special commission has been allocated no budget funds…” [Estrategias para obtener el voto de los varones]

Strategic messaging and male spokespersons

When identifying strategies to work with men to promote women in politics, most participants identified that women do not need to alter the issues they espouse to get more men to support them, however they need to strategically articulate issues to appeal to men.

However, Drude Dahlerup sees this as a dilemma that feminists face when working with men to promote women in politics. She suggests that rearticulating the issue to appeal to men and appointing men to senior gender posts might offend some feminists who wish to create positions of leadership and authority for women:

“To give an example: The former Swedish Equality Ombudsman was a male. He was very visible and influential, not only because he was good, but also – I would argue – because he was a man. However, this promotion of men in equality politics has always represented a dilemma for feminists who want to promote women to leadership positions and see to it that women are given authority even in a male dominated society”. []

However, according to Gisela Garzón this is not a dilemma but rather a win-win situation, she says:

“… it is important … to establish strong alliances among women legislators who are committed to the cause. And pluralistic leadership can be used to gain men’s support across party lines. Perhaps in the future, men might initiate these debates and women won’t be the only leaders in the fight for gender equality”. []

Aitzza concurs that “mainstreaming gender in the legislative sphere is not exclusively a matter for women. It is important to establish work teams with men and women who understand how to mainstream gender”. [Primero lo primero]

Diana Espinosa also thinks that the key in working with men is, “not to ask them to support initiatives for women because they are for women, but because they are matters that affect significant ‘sectors of the population’, in this case women”.

Kristin Haffert illustrates her point based on the strategy used by women members of US congress in order to achieve funding for breast cancer. She states that

“On gaining support from male colleagues for legislation, it is imperative that women are able to talk about their priority issues in terms that appeal to both men and women. If women talk about women's issues as 'women's issues' they will immediately lose the attention of some colleagues - including some women”. []

She believes that for any advocacy strategy

“… one needs to focus on what appeals to the interests of the others, that need to become supporters or advocates and many women's movements would benefit from altering their message - not their issues - to appeal to a broader base of men in a systematic way”.[]

Another aspect of strategic messaging is altering who the message is delivered through. Niki Johnson highlights an example from the Uruguay Parliament, where women legislators who were members of the Special Commission on Gender and Equality (CEGE) were asked to provide evidence for the need to reactivate draft bills on abortion. She states that the CEGE

“… asked that that the bills instead be sent to the Commission on Public Health and Social Assistance (Comisión de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social, CSPAS). The full members of CSPAS were men who were doctors, and the women legislators knew that most supported decriminalizing abortion. Having the new measure drafted by CSPAS rather than CEGE was strategic for two reasons: First, since most of the CSPAS members were members of the scientific community, the bill would carry more weight and have greater legitimacy in the eyes of other members of Parliament and the public than if it were approved by a commission consisting entirely of women, many of whom identified themselves as feminists; and second, decriminalization of abortion is an issue that divided the women who were members of CEGE. Putting CSPAS in charge of drafting the new reproductive health bill, therefore, avoided polarizing positions within the commission and symbolized the unity of women politicians”. [Contribution via email]

NETWORKING AND INFORMATION SHARING

What are the strategies that women employ to gain access to the ‘old-boys club’? How can men engage women more fully in informal political networks? Do women build their own informal networks to empower other women and, if yes, how do they involve men in such networks?

Overcoming structural bias

Several participants made references to socialized structural bias coming into play in the way networking and information sharing is done within political circles. This might create barriers against women that some men may not even be aware of.

Senator Grant Mitchell acknowledges that due to inbred biases:

“[some men think that]…women think differently than men or are not as tough… [but] men think differently than other men too. Determination, commitment and loyalty in the face of adversity are the several elements of toughness that really matter and I have never known these to be unique to men”. []

He urges men to be proactive in engaging women in order to overcome the inherent gender biases that emerge through all-male informal networking:

“…call and talk to and meet with every woman you can think of who might run for office if encouraged and supported”.[]

Fabiola Dapino shares her personal experience and advises women not to succumb to behavior that reinforces the social bias that men are “born leaders”.

“My weaknesses, which I must acknowledge, were sentimentalism, which was reflected in various areas, lack of documentation of actual events, etc. In politics, we cannot be uncertain about the economic and social situation in which we live. We have to understand the legal foundation of our arguments and look to the future to foresee consequences. And I think many of us must lower the emotional tone. While it can help to raise awareness about issues, in excess it can be a weakness that allows the “men’s club” to put a “NO ADMITTANCE” sign up for us”. []

Diana Ávila builds on this, by encouraging women to get involved in portfolios that might not be traditionally seen as “women’s issues” or areas of women’s interests, such as defense or economics:

“…it is important to get involved in the issues men are working on, such as security, defense, economics or mining, that do not involve the domestic sphere. In the struggle over soup kitchens, Glass of Milk programs, domestic violence, we always find women and it is possible to establish alliances with other political organizations. The key is to get involved in matters of POWER!!!!” []

However, Olfa Tantawi, warns against women having to “disguise as men in order to get their chance in politics”. She says:

“…there is dire need to promote a respect of women, of being a woman. Being a woman is a privilege as much as being a man is also a privilege”. []

According to Ms. Tantawi, to ensure a balanced two way process networking and information sharing needs to “allow women to be what they are, and to respect their femininity” and bring not only the “experience and education and all the qualifications of a man, but also she will have an added plus value of a woman vision”. [In response to comments from Sen. Grant Mitchell]

Alejandra Massolo highlights the fact, that in the end, it is up to women themselves to fight to overcome social and structural bias and to demand their rights:

“Without ignoring the support and solidarity of certain men, it is women who have always sought, pursued, demanded, convened and even forced men to act when and where it has been necessary, to achieve recognition and legitimacy and enshrine their political and civil rights, including recent victories, such as electoral quotas. This observation is to share critical reflections about the phrase “working with men,” so they support and foster greater political participation by women”. []

There are great strides to be made before politics can be a level-playing field. Bahar Salimova points out that,

“…it is important that within our families and cultures we encourage and empower women from their young ages to take leadership opportunities and to believe in themselves as individuals who can make a difference”. []

Inclusive politics: a learning responsibility for men

To make politics a level-playing-field for both men and women is a process and requires significant effort. Kevin Deveaux argues that it is men who need to learn,

“Informal opportunities (sometimes called learning opportunities) must be found to provide knowledge to men in positions of power to address the bias and to ensure the rules of the game (politics) are more equitable”. []

Michel Rowland also sees the learning process critical to making politics inclusive for all:

“I suggest that … actively involve the men ... Many men do not understand the scope of the issue and proposals. The more men learn about gender, the more likely they are to be receptive to the demands of their female colleagues”. []

However, Alejandra Massolo points out that providing learning opportunities is as much a responsibility of men as it is for women to find. According to Alejandra,

“Of course, invitations to the workshops are always extended to both men and women in local governments, but because it is a “women’s issue,” men rarely participate. A few come voluntarily and in good faith, but the rest are required to attend by an order from the mayor or for bureaucratic reasons. But women are expected to have the responsibility and the mandate to make men participate when women’s rights and gender equality are discussed. The same thing happens with concepts of masculinity: we are asked to take responsibility for the issue…”. []

Gina Chacón provides a case study from Peru of women finding learning opportunities for themselves and of

“…forming networks and associations of women authorities, where shared learning, training and taking action together are key… we have seen women authorities use this strategy to get into local government. They formed groups in each department/region, and now they meet at the national level. By organizing, women authorities … gain access to opportunities for training not provided by the political party for which they ran for office…”. []

Another example comes from María Eugenia Rojas where she highlights efforts at the local government level in Bolivia where,

“…the NGO CISTAC proposed involving men in local governments as strategic partners in combating gender violence. A project called, ‘Model for questioning power relationships that lead to political violence in municipal government: working on masculinity’, was implemented to help change male value structures, attitudes and behaviors”. []

Margot Nivin Vargas shares the work from her city,

“…here in my city, Huaraz, in Ancash, Peru, we had a workshop with men to discuss the Equal Opportunity Plan for Ancash. There was little participation, but it is important to discuss this issue in the parties, raise men’s awareness and, especially, make them understand that without women’s participation, there is no democracy”. []

Alejandra Massolo suggests “changing the rules of the game also means changing women’s strategies for working with men, strategies much more focused on who and where, and with much greater impact” to be able to make politics a level playing ground for all. [Trabajando con los hombres y estrategias]

CONCLUSION

During the course of the E-discussion, participants reflected on various experiences, existing strategies and barriers in working with men to promote women in politics. Some of these barriers were identified as: viewing women’s political participation as a “women’s issue” as opposed to a matter of democratic rights; lack of information by women about political processes, imbalances between men and women regarding family obligations, closed political cultures, socialization of men and women, and assumptions that women are different from men and are not as aggressive and hence, not suitable for politics. Some participants also pointed to the fact that working with men should be a two way process.

The participants highlighted the benefit of quotas as one of the mechanisms through which men and women can work together to change the political system and encourage women to run for political office both at national and local levels of government. Some strategies that were highlighted included:

Engaging in ongoing dialogue with men
Identifying and encouraging ‘male champions’ of gender equality
Reframing issues so that they are not perceived as only women’s issues but those that impact the society as a whole;
Consciously negating stereotypes of women leaders
Using research on political party structures and processes to develop better informed strategies for women
Taking a non-partisan approach and involving civil society organizations, women’s groups, academics and other actors
More awareness of work-life balance between men and women, including more gender-sensitive sitting hours for parliaments


The E-discussion also brought forth recommendations from male politicians for other men on ways they can encourage women such as:

calling and supporting women who may want to run for office
publicly criticizing sexist comments
encouraging girls from an early age to take up leadership roles
being aware of inbred bias’s in their own decision making and attitudes toward female staff and colleagues
Engaging pro-actively with women and seeking learning opportunities


During the E-discussion, participants agreed that working with men is vital, and both men and women need to work together to achieve a level playing field in politics.

PARTICIPANTS

Alejandra Massolo, Mexico

Audrey McLaughlin, Canada

Bahar Salimova, Knowledge Management Specialist, iKNOW Politics

Beatriz Llanos, Lawyer and Journalist, Peru

Carlos Alberto Baena López, President Movimiento MIRA, Colombia

Cecilia Lero, National Democratic Institute, USA Daniela Cerva, UNAM, Mexico

Diana Ávila, Peru

Diana Espinosa, Coordinator More Women, More Politics Campaign, Colombia

Drude Dahlerup, Stockholm University

Fabiola Dapino, Peru

Franklin De-Vrieze, UNDP

Gina Chacón, Peru

Giorgia Depaoli, UN-INSTRAW

Gisela Garzón de la Roza, Inter-American Development Bank, USA

Grant Mitchell, Senator for Alberta, Canada

Kevin Deveaux, Parliamentary Policy Adviser, UNDP

Kjell Erik Øie, Secretary Ministry of Children and Equality, Norway

Kristin Haffert, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, USA

Lode Vanoost, Ex-Member of Belgian Parliament

Margot Nivin Vargas, Secretary General of Peru Posible, Peru

María Eugenia Rojas Valverde, ACOBOL, Bolivia

Mariam Drame, Regional Coordinator Sub-Saharan Africa, IKNOW Politics

Michel Rowland, Resident Director, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Bolivia

Mirta Macedra, Fundación Brotar, Argentina

Niki Johnson, Uruguay

Nyambura Ngugi, UNIFEM

Olfa Tantawi, The American University of Cairo

Priya Chattier, UNIFEM

Susana Campari, Argentina

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