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Malta: MP gender quotas rejected

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Mon, 2012-05-21 05:50

Summary: 

The government will not be introducing gender quotas to ensure balance in Parliament, despite the fact that only nine per cent of MPs are women.

This jars when compared to the average number of women in national parliaments in EU countries, which stands at 22 per cent.

Out of the 27 EU member states, six have adopted legislation on candidate quotas, which has resulted in pushing up the number of MP women substantially. In some cases, such as Belgium and Spain, the increase is close to 40 per cent.

Body: 

Read the original story, published 19 May 2012, at Times of Malta.


France: Hollande delivers on gender in government

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2012-05-17 02:30

Summary: 

President François Hollande showed an unexpectedly ruthless streak yesterday by shaping a gender-balanced French government from which several friends, and one notable foe, were excluded.

The most notable casualty was the Socialist party leader and mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, who will take no part in the government which takes office today. Ms Aubry, 60, an acrimonious rival to Mr Hollande within the party for more than two decades, had been tipped as a possible prime minister.

Body: 

For the original article, published on 17 May 2012, see The Independent.


France: Francois Hollande Vows to Rid Politics of Sexism

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Sun, 2012-05-06 23:25

Summary: 

Hollande has sought to portray himself as a feminist, and recently won the backing of a petition of more than 150 feminists. He has said he will reintroduce a ministry of women's rights and has promised an equal number of women and men in government if he wins. This would be historic.

Body: 

Read the complete story at The Guardian, published 4 May 2012.


France: Hollande Would Govern with Male Veterans, New Women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2012-05-03 00:54

Summary: 

If Socialist challenger Francois Hollande wins Sunday's French presidential election as expected, his government would include trusted old hands and as many women as men.

Hollande's former partner, Segolene Royal, 58, who lost to Sarkozy in the 2007 election, has hinted she expects to become president of the lower house of parliament after June elections.

But to fulfill his pledge of a gender-balanced government, Hollande will need to draw on a younger generation of women from the long male-dominated Socialist Party.

Body: 

Read the complete story at Reuters, published 2 May 2012.


Serbia: Serbia Aims to Increase Number of Women in Politics

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2012-05-03 00:45

Summary: 

After Sunday's (May 6th) elections, more women are expected to take seats in parliament than previously after a push by the country to meet European standards.

The 2008 elections were held according to different regulations, with parties and coalitions required to have at least 30% of female candidates on their election tickets. The result increased the number of women MPs to about 22%, or 55 seats in the 250-member parliament.

In Sunday's elections, the two parties being given the strongest chances of forming a government -- the Serbian Progressive Party and the Democratic Party -- have announced they will most likely nominate a woman for the post of prime minister.

Body: 

Read the complete story at SETimes.com, published 1 May 2012.


Scotland: council election: Why are so few women standing?

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2012-04-27 10:29

Summary: 

26 April 2012 - Fewer than one in four candidates standing in the council elections in Scotland are women, academics have reported.

Meryl Kenny and Fiona Mackay from Edinburgh University published the findings and labelled local Scottish politics "male, pale and stale".

One in seven contests on 3 May will be male only.

The report's authors said the figures were "sobering".

Body: 

For the full story, see BBC.


Global: Launch of the 2012 Social Institutions and Gender Index

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2012-04-26 06:10
2012-05-22 13:57
Etc/GMT
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Virginia
Country: 
United States
Description: 

 

When? Where?

 

Thursday, May 10, 2012 
9:00am-12:00pm 
Marshall Center Auditorium 
US Department of State 
Entrance on 21st Street, at Virginia Ave NW

To participate, RSVP by email to: washington.contact@oecd.org

To guarantee entrance to the State Department for this event, please include name, date of birth, citizenship, and drivers license/passport number when you RSVP

Programme

Opening remarks

  • Heidi Crebo-Rediker, Chief Economist, US Department of State

Speakers

  • Carlos Alvarez, Johannes Jütting and Somali Cerise, OECD Development Centre
  • Asma Khadar, Secretary-General, Jordanian National Commission for Women and Former Minister of Culture & Government Spokesperson for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
  • Inderjeet Singh, Deputy Director-General, Central Statistics Office, Government of India
  • Donald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator, USAID

Event Description

While conventional indicators of gender equality capture inequality in outcomes such as education and employment, the OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) focuses instead on the underlying drivers of these inequalities. Applying the SIGI data to issues as diverse as employment, hunger and the achievement of the MDGs has shown that countries displaying higher levels of discrimination against women are also performing more poorly on a range of development indicators. Strengthening our understanding of these discriminatory factors would therefore enable the development of more effective and targeted policies in support of gender equality at the local, national and global levels.

The launch event is co-hosted by the United States Department of State and the OECD Development Centre. A presentation of the 2012 SIGI data and rankings will be followed by a discussion of the following important topics:

  • Measuring social institutions at the country level: the SIGI India pilot
  • How do donors address discriminatory social institutions?
  • What drives change? Evidence from the Middle East and North Africa

Background

Since SIGI was launched in 2009, the index and the role of discriminatory social institutions in undermining gender equality have gained increasing attention in the eyes of policy-makers and researchers alike. The 2012 version of the SIGI reflects changes in laws or practices, an updated conceptual framework and improved data sources for over 100 countries.

See Also

External Links

For more information, see WikiGender.


Global: The Most Powerful Women You've Never Heard Of

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-04-25 05:31

Summary: 

The Angela Merkels and Dilma Rousseffs get all the attention. But they're not the only female leaders running the world.

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For the full story, see Foreign Policy.


IDEA: Second Meeting of the Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-04-25 05:25
2012-05-01
Etc/GMT
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Jakarta
Country: 
Indonesia
Description: 

 

Driven by the regional entities around the world, the ASEAN Secretariat and International IDEAwill host the Second Meeting of the Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy on 1 May 2012 in Jakarta.

The Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy is a platform for engagement among regional organizations on democracy. Apart from the ASEAN Secretariat, other participating organizations include the African Union, European Union, League of Arab States, Pacific Islands Forum, Organization of American States, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation with International IDEA as the facilitator.

“This high-level meeting provides a forum for both policy-makers and practitioners from regional organisations around the world to exchange views, best practices and experiences on democracy and institutional building,” said H.E. Dr Surin Pitsuwan, the Secretary-General of ASEAN. “The region is committed to the principles of democracy and the rule of law in its community-building efforts,” Dr Surin further added.

This year’s theme on ‘Promoting and Ensuring Inclusive Political Participation and Representation Among Our Regions’ responds to the recent democratic movements around the globe and highlights the role that Regional Organisations can play.

Former President Fidel V. Ramosof the Republic of the Philippines will share his personal experiences in restoring and strengthening democracy as the guest speaker during a diplomatic Luncheon.

”It is indeed fitting that we hear the voice of experience and words of wisdom from one of the region’s illustrious senior statesmen during this event,” Dr Surin said.

Later in the afternoon, Dr Surin Pitsuwan will moderate an ASEAN Secretariat Policy Forum where Heads of the participating regional organizations will share their views on democracy and related issues and the importance of political participation and representation. Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, will set the stage for the forum with his reflections on the political transformation that has unfolded around the world and its implications on ASEAN. Followed by a Question & Answer session, the forum is open to the Jakarta-based diplomatic community and other guests from the region, representatives from international and regional organisations, think-tanks, and the media.

According to International IDEA's Secretary-General Vidar Helgesen: “Inclusive political participation is vital for sustainable democracy. Recent events have reaffirmed that the citizen is at the heart of democracy and it is now clearer than ever that all democracies need to deliver on their promise of true citizen participation and representation.”

For more information, see IDEA.


UNDP: Doing Right by the World's Women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-04-25 05:07

Summary: 

23 April 2012 - When Foreign Policy compiled its list of 25 of the most powerful but least known women in the world for our May/June issue, Helen Clark was a natural pick. A three-term prime minister of New Zealand, she stepped onto the international stage in 2009, when she became administrator of the United Nations Development Program. As the first woman at the helm of the UNDP, she oversees the organization's 8,000-plus employees working in 177 countries to fight poverty and corruption and support vital welfare, health, and environmental programs.When Foreign Policy compiled its list of 25 of the most powerful but least known women in the world for our May/June issue, Helen Clark was a natural pick. A three-term prime minister of New Zealand, she stepped onto the international stage in 2009, when she became administrator of the United Nations Development Program. As the first woman at the helm of the UNDP, she oversees the organization's 8,000-plus employees working in 177 countries to fight poverty and corruption and support vital welfare, health, and environmental programs.

Body: 

For the full story, see Foreign Policy.


France: French Women Wield Little Influence in Election

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Sun, 2012-04-22 22:45

Summary: 

Women account for 53 percent of French voters but there's little to suggest they will pack their punch behind any single candidate in the presidential election. On April 22, French voters will choose among 10 presidential candidates, three of whom are women: Marine Le Pen, Eva Joly and the extreme-left wing Nathalie Artaud. Of all the candidates, Socialist party candidate Francois Hollande is considered the most attentive to women's special interests.

Body: 

Read the complete story at Women's eNews, publisedh 20 April 2012.


Niamh Bhreathnach: Expert Opinion on All-Women Political Parties

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2012-04-19 06:49

Summary: 

Submitted 30 March 2012 by Niamh Bhreathnach Cllr. (Former Irish Minister for Education) in response to the question:

"What are the modalities and preexisting conditions (socioeconomic and legal) that facilitate setting up an all-women political party? What are the advantages and disadvantages of initiating an all-women party? Can you share experiences of countries/regions that have had all-women political party?"

Women’s Political Association

On the question of women’s’ parties in politics, I can only give a general response. Ireland did not go down the women’s’ only party route. We had a Women’s Progressive Association set up in the ‘70s which morphed into the Women’s’ Political Association by the end of that decade. Notable Irish women,Mary Robinson in particular, gave a strong voice to women through this association. Rather than form a political party par se it hosted meetings where speakersfrom our established parties spoke. Being a feminist of the ‘60s I was delighted to attend these meetings. During one of their public sessions I was inspired by a Labour Party speaker to seek membership of that Party. The Labour Party is affiliated to the Socialist International who hosts a women’s group(SIW) and my political education was certainly informed by its work.

Body: 

 

Labour Womens’ National Council

I quickly became involved in the Labour Party’s women’s group. Access to the work of the SIW, helped us further our policy on having women elected. An international commitment to having women candidates on all ballot papers gave our national party the impetus to research the need for gender quotas. Internally we created a quota system for Party committees, I succeeded through this system.

Irish Parliament’s Role

Finally in the year 2012 it has been accepted that any reform of our Parliament must involve rule changes if more women are to be elected, we only have 14% women elected today, although theLabour Party’s result is higher at 24%. Passing through the twohouses of Parliament at this time is an Electoral Reform Bill which includes the right to impose fines on any party contesting future General Elections with a ballot paper featuring less than 30% women candidates.

Conclusion

At times I envied countries were there were list systems operating or where women’s parties were in existence. But now that we in Ireland have finally accepted the need for quotas, we are being challenged by a number of women, in and outside our Parliament who argue against the use of quotas. I would love to see this aspect of having women involved properly researched. How will democracies benefit from greater participation of women? What policies come up the priority list? Why are a majority ofwomen still convinced that governing is best done by men.? Good outcomes need to be shared, problems discussed and targets set and achieved. Whether women only parties would have achieved more is a moot point, at some stage whether participating in Government or a coalition opposition, perhaps a women’s party’s clout could have achieved more but I look at how the Green Parties have come and gone in Europe and wonder whether they are discussingmain-streaming eco friendly policies across the main political movements and whether their experience could inform ours


United Kingdom: The Importance of Inclusion and Equality in Female Leadership

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2012-04-19 05:41

Summary: 

18 April 2012 - I recently attended a Pierhead Sessions lecture at the National Assembly for Wales, where former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and current Administrator for the United Nations Development Programme, Helen Clark spoke on the topic of inclusion and equality in female leadership. Clark specifically focused upon these two entities for the development of women leaders, her speech highlighting that women in the UK, and across the world still have progress to make in order to gain equality.

Body: 

For the full story, see Huffington Post.


IDEA: Finland- An insider’s perspective

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2012-04-19 04:05

Summary: 

18 April 2012 - International IDEA works with Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs), the institutions responsible for administering elections in a country.

In a series of interviews, IDEA is speaking with EMBs from its 27 Member States, bringing their daily work closer to our readers.

While the organization of elections is a central function of any EMB, this series will highlight the work that keeps them busy beyond election-day.

In this first interview, IDEA had some questions for the EMB of Finland

Body: 

For the full story, see IDEA.


Serbia: In Belgrade, a new hand at the helm of the government

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-04-18 02:32

Summary: 

16 April 2012 - When Serbian President Boris Tadic resigned on April 5th, Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic took the reins as acting president. Although her stint will be brief -- as elections are scheduled for May 6th -- it is long enough for Serbia to start considering what it is like to have a woman at the helm.

According to the constitution, as acting president, top Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) official Djukic-Dejanovic will also be the supreme commander of the army and will carry out all diplomatic duties related to foreign policy.

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For the full story, see SE Times.