Women in Politics and Decision Making

1. Jana Smiggels Kavková, M.A. České Budějovice, 22.5. Women in Politics and Decision Making

2. Women in Political Decision-Making • Chamber of Deputies: 44 women of 200 members, 22% • Senate: 15 women of 81 senators, 18.5% • Government: 2 women of 16 members, 12.5% • Regions: 1 woman of 13 hetmans, 7.7%

3. Regional and Local Politics • Regional Assemblies: 17.6% • Local Assemblies: 26% in average, 23% in the largest cities • Mayors of Statutory Cities: 2 women of 23 statutory mayors, 8.7%

4. International Comparison (www.ipu.org) • Nordic countries 42% • Americas 22.7% • Europe (incl. Nordic countries) 22.7% • Czech Republic 22.0% • Europe (excl. Nordic countries) 20.9% • Sub-Saharan Africa 19.8% • Asia 18.8% • Pacific 12.4 % • Arab States 11.7 % Czech Republic occupies the 56th place in the ranking together with Serbia, Eritrea and Uzbekistan.

5. International Comparison (World Economic Forum) – 75th place (135 countries)

6. Women on Corporate Boards • Average in the EU countries: 13,7 % • Very slow improvement (8,5 % in 2003) • Women as chairs/presidents: 3,2 % in the EU • Situation in the Czech Republic: in 100 largest companies only 7 %

7. Causes of Underrepresentation of Women in Czech Politics • Individual Barriers – patriarchal model of family, different measures for males and females, different concept of power • Social Barriers – traditional concept of male and female roles, women are interested in politics less then men, absence of female role models, different socialization of boys and girls • Institutional Barriers – internal mechanisms of political parties, electoral system,way of nomination of candidates, absence of affirmative action programmes

8. Women in Political Parties • Women are present in political parties: 30 – 52% of members are women • Lack of women in leadership: 25% of women • The higher position in a party, the less women (“glass ceiling”) • Result: women have only little opportunity to participate in decision-making within their parties (e.g. assembling ballots, promoting affirmative action, funding women’s organizations within parties)

9. Positive Measures/Affirmative Actions • Used worldwide to improve the situation • 1. Soft measures: mentoring, training, networking, campaigning • 2. Hard measures: quotas; contoversial in many countries, at the same time the most efficient tool

10. Quotas • Used mainly in politics • New trend: quotas for corporate boards, big issue in the EU • Voluntary versus prescribed by law • Two important thresholds: • 30 % - critical mass • 40 % parity threshold

11. Quotas in politics Twotypes: • Reservedseats: lesscommon; certainamountofseatsreservedforwomen (Rwanda) • Quotasforthecandidatelists/ballots: a certain ratio ofthecandidatesofbothsexes on thelists (Poland, France, Belgium)

12. Forum 50 %: Basic Facts • founded in 2004 as an attempt to change the situation of women in Czech politics • strictly non-party association • main goal: increase women’s political participation in the Czech Republic (regardless of age, political opinions, ethnicity, religion etc.)

13. Forum 50 %: Mission and Goals • Forum 50 % strives for society with equal political participation of women and men • Goals: • achieve at least 30% representation of women on all levels of politics • introduce affirmative action programs within political parties • enforce legislative changes in favor of equal representation of women and men in politics • incorporate equal opportunities into the programs of political parties • support and promote female candidates

14. Forum 50 %: „Chicken campaign“

15. Forum 50 %: „Chicken campaign“

16. Forum 50 %: „Chicken campaign“

17. Forum 50 %: „Chicken campaign“

18. Forum 50 %: „Chicken Campaign“

19. Chicken Speaking to Journalists

20. Everybody Wants to Be a Chicken...

21. Chicken with the First Lady

22. Protest against men-only government

23. Thank you for your attention. Jana Smiggels Kavková kavkova@padesatprocent.cz www.padesatprocent.cz