GENDER

DIFFEREN
CE IN
POLITICS

FELICIA BA RAG HIN

 FAC T S A N D F I G U R E S
Only 22.8 per cent of all national parliamentarians were women
as of June 2016, a slow increase from 11.3 per cent in 1995.

As of October 2017, 11 women are serving as Head of State

and 12 are serving as Head of Government
Rwanda had the highest number of women parliamentarians
worldwide. Women there have won 63.8 per cent of seats in the
lower house

As of January 2017, only 18.3 per cent of government

ministers were women; the most commonly held portfolio by
women ministers is environment, natural resources, and
energy, followed by social sectors, such as social affairs,
education and the family
 During the two years of the research, the IPU received
responses and conducted interviews with nearly 300
parliamentarians in 110 countries in every region of the world.

Women face great obstacles entering politics.

Overall, respondents believe that prejudice and cultural
perceptions about the role of women, together with a
lack of financial resources, frequently hinder women’s
access to political life.

More than 90 percent of all respondents agree that

women bring different views, talents and
perspectives to politics. Women parliamentarians are
at the forefront of efforts to combat gender-based
violence.

Partnership is the key to real change. Women and men

must work together to promote gender equality within
political parties, within the institution of parliament, and as
part of the policy-making process.
From the local to the global level, women’s
leadership and political participation are
<<
restricted. Women are underrepresented as
voters, as well as in leading positions,
whether in elected office, the civil service,
the private sector or academia.

This occurs despite their proven abilities as

leaders and agents of change, and their right
to participate equally in democratic
governance.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Legal frameworks and policies to advance women’s
01 rights to participate in decision-making at national and
local levels are reformed/adopted and/or
implemented;

Gender equality advocates influence legal

framework and policies to increase women’s
leadership and political participation.
02
 5
ARAB WOMEN SEATED IN EUROPE'S POLITICS

Arab women’s profound participation in politics has recently become evident across the
world, specifically in Europe. Meet 5 powerful and influential Arab women who took prominent
seats in European politics.
 Khadija Arib

This Moroccan-Dutch female politician has proudly been

elected as the Speaker of the Dutch House of
Representatives. She has been a part of politics since 1998!
 S aw s a n C h eb l i

She is a Palestinian refugee and at 37 years

old, is proudly titled the Deputy
Spokesperson of the German Foreign
Ministry. Chebli is the first Muslim
woman to ever be appointed as a deputy
spokesperson to the Foreign Office!
 N a j a t Va l l a u d - B e l k a c e m

French and Moroccan, this impressive woman held several different positions in
France, such as Minister of Women’s Affairs, Minister of City Affairs, Minister
of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Government Spokesperson. As of August 2014,
she was the first French woman to be appointed Minister of Education, Higher
Education, and Research and at 36 years old, also the youngest!
 Rachida Dati
Born to a Moroccan father, this woman has kicked up some dust in the
European Parliament! She was the first Arab minister in the history of
France and is currently a French politician and Member of the European
Parliament, representing Île-de-France (French constituency of the
European Parliament).
N a g wa G owe i l y

At the age of 25, this Spanish-Egyptian woman

is the youngest woman to enter the Spanish
Parliament! She is a presidential member of the
leftist ‘Podemos’ (Spanish for ‘we can’) group (the
fourth strongest political power in Spain) which,
according to Spanish law, qualifies her to manage
the opening session!
In an otherwise conservative society, these 5 women have paved the way for many
more Arab women to participate in politics. All their hard work and perseverance
actually paid off and these women Arab politicians are an inspiration for the
empowerment for all women, all over the world, of all nationalities!
 A B R I E F H I S T O RY O F WO M E N I N A M E R I C A N
POLITICS

1st woman in the Cabinet: First woman to run for president First woman to run for president
Frances Perkins, who was Victoria Woodhull in 1872 in as a Democrat: Rep. Shirley
appointed Secretary of Labor the Equal Rights Party. Chisholm of New York in
in 1933 by President Franklin 1972.
Roosevelt
 WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
GAINS MOMENTUM IN MOLDOVA

As of 2015, Moldova ranked 64 in terms of women’s

representation in the Parliament, with women holding only
22 per cent of seats in the lower house.

UN Women-UNDP collaboration with the

government and the Parliament contributed towards
the adoption of a new law on 14 April, 2016, which
for the first time, introduced gender quotas for party
list candidates and cabinet nominees.

321
No. 71 says that women and men must each
make up a minimum of 40 per cent of every
political party’s candidates and of cabinet
nominees, and amends 15 other national
laws.

It also introduces 14 days paid paternity leave, prohibits sexist language and images in the
media and advertising, and establishes a Gender Equality Coordination Group in the
central public administration.
WOMEN FROM MOLDOVAN POLITICS
MONICA BABUC
is a politician and
historian from
the Republic of Moldova.
She is the current Minister
of Culture of Moldova.
MAIA SANDU
On December 23, 2015 she
launched a platform „În /pas/ cu
Maia Sandu” ("Keep pace with
Maia Sandu") that later became
a political party called "Partidul
Acțiune și Solidaritate" ("Party
of Action and Solidarity").
In 2016, Maia Sandu was a
candidate in the Moldovan
presidential election. Running on
a Pro-EU action platform, she
was one of the two candidates
that reached the run off of the
election.
ZINAIDA GRECEANÎI
is the leader of the Party of
Socialists of the Republic of
Moldova (PSRM) and was
previously a member of the Party
of Communists of the Republic of
Moldova(PCRM)
VALENTINA BULIGA
is
a Moldovan politician
. She was the Minister
of Labour, Social
Protection and Family
in the First Vlad Filat
Cabinet and in
ALINA ZOTEA the Second Filat
Cabinet as well.
joined the Liberal Party (PL)
in 2005, and became a
personal assistant to party
leader Mihai Ghimpu in
2014. In that year's
election for the Parliament of
Moldova, she ran on the
party's lists, in 19th position.
 CONCLUSION
Global Gender Index reports have
shown a correlation between the
increased participation of women and
the development of societies in the
areas of health, education, family care,
social welfare, the environment etc. By
contrast, countries with a low
participation of women have seen a fall
in the quality of social-related services.
Consequently, more efforts are still
required to ensure that a critical mass of
women are elected into positions of
authority and at all levels of decision-
making.