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Quota: Empowering Women or Reinforcing Marginality? Bangladesh Experience

Quota: Empowering Women or Reinforcing Marginality? Bangladesh Experience. Dr. Najma Chowdhury Bushra Chowdhury University of Dhaka. Quota: an empowering tool? Setting the context Features of Bangladesh experience Hierarchical gender relations Limited women’s political participation

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Quota: Empowering Women or Reinforcing Marginality? Bangladesh Experience

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  1. Quota: Empowering Women or Reinforcing Marginality? Bangladesh Experience Dr. Najma Chowdhury Bushra Chowdhury University of Dhaka

  2. Quota: an empowering tool? • Setting the context • Features of Bangladesh experience • Hierarchical gender relations • Limited women’s political participation • Quota introduced to strengthen women’s political status • Quota: an instrument of patriarchal control

  3. Constitutional Provisions Parliament • 300 seats from single member territorial constituencies • 15 seats reserved for women elected by members from 300 seats • This arrangement to continue for 10 years

  4. Constitutional Provisions Subsequent changes • Reserved seats increased to 30 for 15 years • Method of election remains the same • Reserved seats increased to 45 • Method of election- ‘proportional representation’

  5. Quota or Reserved Seats? Quota • Affirmative action • ‘Fast track’ access to national parliament Discourse on Quota • Increased membership of under/un-represented • Small minorities turn into large minorities

  6. Quota or Reserved Seats? Continued • Reaching a critical mass • Inherently dynamic Debate on Reservation • Visibility vs. empowerment

  7. Quota Implementation Features • Quota led to limited entry of women (4.5% in 1972 to 13% in 2006) • Mode of election: paradoxical • Reserved seats remained marginalized and prone to political manipulation

  8. Reserved Seats in Local Government • Constitutional Provision (Art. 9)- special representation of women • Union Parishad (UP)- one fourth membership reserved for women • Direct election to reserved seats • 12684 women in 4228 UPs • Awareness of rights and status

  9. Gains Made by Quota • Political representation • Governance • Women’s agenda • Role model • Political space

  10. Negative Impact on Women’s Status • Political dependence • Constituency linkages • Political status • Manipulation of women’s seats • Shrinking of democratic space

  11. Lessons Learnt • Increase the number and proportion of seats • Introduce quota across the board • Democratize the electoral process • Develop a twin strategy • Organize for support and motivation • Forge alliances

  12. Why the Resistance • Apprehension by those in power that sharing would lead to diminution of power • Institutional culture of resistance to change work mode or agenda

  13. Concluding Comments Election Commission reform measures • Quota for women across the board at 33% • Women’s movement welcome reform package • Some political parties non-committed • Others see them as unpractical and impossible to implement

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