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Women in Artsakh Politics

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Women in Artsakh Politics

Source: Armenian Weekly

The low participation of women in politics is a global issue. Irrespective of political structures and democracy indexes, almost every country faces this problem. The government and parliament should reflect the full picture of society. Despite this, women are still under-represented in leadership positions.

Experts agree that much depends on women having an equal footing in politics and governmental positions. Although initiative and demand factors are necessary, they are not yet sufficient to end male dominance in politics. Otherwise, this would not even be an issue, and measures would not have to be taken nationally and globally.

Thus, the Resolution “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” adopted by the United Nations (UN) includes 17 sustainable development goals. SDG 5 addresses gender equality and aims at “ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.” The European institutions also strongly support women’s political participation and equal involvement in the decision-making processes. For instance, the European Commission’s “Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019” encourages member states to adopt measures for improving the gender balance in political and public decision-making positions; the EU’s “Gender Action Plan 2016-2020” mainstreams women empowerment and participation in policy, governance and elections at all levels. The Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have proposed a number of resolutions and recommendations on taking legislative and specific political measures to enhance women’s political representation.

Internationally, some progress has been made in countries where legislative regulations are being implemented to increase women’s involvement in politics. In 2018, global female representation in parliaments rose to 24.1 percent, compared to 11.7 percent two decades before.

To measure political and corporate progress, the UN determines (i) the proportion of seats held by women in parliaments and governments; and (ii) the proportion of women in managerial positions.

The women/men ratio in politics in the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is revealing. Only five of the 33 MPs are women in the Parliament of the 6th convocation (i.e., only 15 percent). One of the 13 members of the government and six of the 24 deputy ministers are women (7 percent and 25 percent, respectively). No women head state bodies or regional administrations, and only three of the chiefs of staff of the 12 ministries are women (25 percent). This is despite the fact that women represent approximately 60 percent of the staff of those ministries: 51 percent in the office of the President and 76 percent in the staff of the National Assembly.

Click here to read the full article published by Armenian Weekly on 17 September 2019.

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The low participation of women in politics is a global issue. Irrespective of political structures and democracy indexes, almost every country faces this problem. The government and parliament should reflect the full picture of society. Despite this, women are still under-represented in leadership positions.

Experts agree that much depends on women having an equal footing in politics and governmental positions. Although initiative and demand factors are necessary, they are not yet sufficient to end male dominance in politics. Otherwise, this would not even be an issue, and measures would not have to be taken nationally and globally.

Thus, the Resolution “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” adopted by the United Nations (UN) includes 17 sustainable development goals. SDG 5 addresses gender equality and aims at “ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.” The European institutions also strongly support women’s political participation and equal involvement in the decision-making processes. For instance, the European Commission’s “Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019” encourages member states to adopt measures for improving the gender balance in political and public decision-making positions; the EU’s “Gender Action Plan 2016-2020” mainstreams women empowerment and participation in policy, governance and elections at all levels. The Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have proposed a number of resolutions and recommendations on taking legislative and specific political measures to enhance women’s political representation.

Internationally, some progress has been made in countries where legislative regulations are being implemented to increase women’s involvement in politics. In 2018, global female representation in parliaments rose to 24.1 percent, compared to 11.7 percent two decades before.

To measure political and corporate progress, the UN determines (i) the proportion of seats held by women in parliaments and governments; and (ii) the proportion of women in managerial positions.

The women/men ratio in politics in the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is revealing. Only five of the 33 MPs are women in the Parliament of the 6th convocation (i.e., only 15 percent). One of the 13 members of the government and six of the 24 deputy ministers are women (7 percent and 25 percent, respectively). No women head state bodies or regional administrations, and only three of the chiefs of staff of the 12 ministries are women (25 percent). This is despite the fact that women represent approximately 60 percent of the staff of those ministries: 51 percent in the office of the President and 76 percent in the staff of the National Assembly.

Click here to read the full article published by Armenian Weekly on 17 September 2019.

News
Focus areas