How gender quotas broaden the political agenda
Source: University of Bath
In 2013, a Christian democratic politician from Belgium and I sat down in her office in the Senate, the upper house of the federal parliament in Brussels. The senator recalled a long battle within her party to get more women candidates on party lists. After a national quota law came into force in 1999, the share of women in her party and in the parliament as a whole increased significantly. She told me that, 'having more women in politics has broadened the political agenda.' She gave the example of significant investment in childcare, an issue she said got short shrift before the law, when there were only a few women in the relevant political committee. Now, she told me, 'it’s one of the biggest budget points.'
The Belgian senator’s views foreshadowed the sentiments of men and women I interviewed from across the political spectrum – more than sixty party leaders, members of parliament, bureaucrats and political activists across four countries (Austria, Belgium, Italy, and Portugal). The consensus that emerged was that while many men support policies to help balance work and family life, women are the ones driving this agenda.
Click here to read the full article published by University of Bath on 19 October 2022.
In 2013, a Christian democratic politician from Belgium and I sat down in her office in the Senate, the upper house of the federal parliament in Brussels. The senator recalled a long battle within her party to get more women candidates on party lists. After a national quota law came into force in 1999, the share of women in her party and in the parliament as a whole increased significantly. She told me that, 'having more women in politics has broadened the political agenda.' She gave the example of significant investment in childcare, an issue she said got short shrift before the law, when there were only a few women in the relevant political committee. Now, she told me, 'it’s one of the biggest budget points.'
The Belgian senator’s views foreshadowed the sentiments of men and women I interviewed from across the political spectrum – more than sixty party leaders, members of parliament, bureaucrats and political activists across four countries (Austria, Belgium, Italy, and Portugal). The consensus that emerged was that while many men support policies to help balance work and family life, women are the ones driving this agenda.
Click here to read the full article published by University of Bath on 19 October 2022.