Quota Discussion forum

 Why there is no quotas for women in the parliament in Finland?

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Good day! We are 3rd year students from De La Salle University Manila and we are conducting a research about Swedish women's representation in their national parliament. Along with this message are the questions we would like to ask you. We are hoping for your immediate response. Thank you and God bless you!

Cheers!

Kristopher Albano

Ashley Gladys Soon

Mary Angelyn Tensuan

AB-International Studies Major in European Studies, 3rd year students, De La Salle University Manila

Interview questions:

Sweden is known to be a country that has high representative of women in its national parliament and cabinet. Why do you think this is so?

        How and when did the Swedes decide to increase women’s participation in their government?

                When is the turning point of this Swedish experience of high representation of women in the Swedish riksdag?

What are/were the issues Swedish women had faced/are facing to achieve high representation in politics?

        How do they cope with these issues?

        Does the Swedish society see women in their country equal to men?

        What were some programs of the government implemented during the years 1998-2006 which affected the current status of Swedish’ gender

        policies?

        Do working women in Sweden get equal pay to that of men?

        Is having a high or better yet, equal representation of men and women in the parliament and government good or bad? In what way/s?

        Are people in Sweden aware about gender equality?

What do you think is the importance of equal opportunities of men and women in politics for the economic development of a country?   

    What do people in Sweden say about their country having a high representation of women in the parliament?

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The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics) is pleased to launch the third iKNOW Politics E-Discussion Forum on Financing Women in Politics to be held from October 22-29, 2008. This E-Discussion will focus on the impact of financing laws on women’s political participation, the role of political parties in removing financial barriers for women candidates, structural challenges facing women in obtaining financial independence in politics, and the fundraising strategies that women use in their political campaigns.

Considering the importance of this issue for increasing the numbers of women in politics, iKNOW Politics is pleased to launch this E-Discussion Forum. The E-discussion aims to address the financing of women in politics on a global level, and to create a knowledge base for future recommendations and action plans. The E-Discussion will be structured around the following general questions, which can be further developed by the participants:

1. Fundraising strategies for women candidates: What are some strategies that women have used effectively to raise money?  What makes some women very successful fundraisers?  What fundraising techniques work best in different political environments (i.e.: corporate donors, direct appeal to individuals, fundraising events, etc.)?  What are some networks that women can draw upon for help in raising money?

2. Finance laws for women’s political participation: What are examples of political financing legislation that has reduced financial barriers to running for office (i.e. public campaign laws, tax deductibility, child care support, media access regulations, etc.)? What has been the impact of imposing electoral spending limits, public financing of political parties or limits on donation amounts and sources?  What mechanisms are in place to implement provisions of financing laws? Have there been instances when financing laws become disadvantageous for women’s political participation? How do finance laws regulate vote buying practices and their negative effects?

3. The role of political parties: What can political parties do to remove financial barriers to women in politics? Which political party financing reforms most benefit women? When and where have gender quotas implemented by political parties been used as incentives for getting public funds? What are some examples of successful strategies championed by women’s party sections to provide women candidates with access to funding?

4. Women’s financial independence and access to public office: What are the key strategies employed by women candidates to fundraise for their political campaigns? Do women have equal access to moneyed networks to fundraise for their political campaigns? What is the correlation between women’s financial dependence on men and access to public office? How do different cultural contexts influence women´s access to money in politics? To what extent does the level of support from a woman’s family impact a woman’s ability to access funds to run for office?  What structural changes need to be made at different levels (i.e. politically, socially, culturally) to ensure that financial inequalities are not a barrier to women running as candidates?

5. Women’s Participation in Local Governments and Local Elections: What distinct strategies have been employed by women to raise money in local elections? Do women candidates running in local elections face more financial barriers than women running in national elections? What are the main finance sources for women running in local elections? What are some examples of finance laws adopted by local governments to stimulate women’s political participation?

Women candidates and political leaders, party activists, practitioners and scholars are invited to raise their concerns, share their stories, and highlight their recommendations to further empower women in politics and public life. Contributions to this E-Discussion may be submitted in English, French or Spanish. Join us from October 22-29, 2008 and share your thoughts and experiences on this important issue. To learn more and to participate, visit the iKNOW Politics website at www.iknowpolitics.org/en/ediscussion.

Sincerely,

iKNOW Politics Team

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Last week, a two-day sub-regional workshop on special measures was held in Port Moresby which highlighted that Pacific nations need to have both genders represented in parliament if they are to realize their full potential in the global environment. This workshop was organized by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), AusAID, UNDP Pacific Centre, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, International Development Law Organization (IDLO), and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Against the world average of 16 percent women parliamentarians, the Pacific countries have the lowest average by region of 3.1percent (excluding Australia and New Zealand). The Pacific region has five out of the seven countries in the world without any women in parliament and these include: Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Temporary special measures in the form of quotas emerged as the possible future direction for Pacific Island countries at this workshop. International experience as well as experience from our region shows that special measures are necessary for progress. In fact, quotas will ensure that women constitute at least a “critical minority” of 30 or 40 percent.

However, it became clear that quotas by itself is not a sufficient guarantee to get critical mass of women into elected positions. The workshop demonstrated that proportional presentation combined with a quota system, preferable constitutional or legislated, is probably the best recipe for ensuring the desired result. For example, while the establishment of reserved seats for women may have worked for Autonomous Bougainville Government of Papua New Guinea, it may not be favorable option for Fiji because of strong party systems vis-à-vis plurality-based constituencies.

There is no doubt that while the choice of electoral system plays a major role in the participation of women in elected offices, other variables are also at play. Gender biases and stereotypes that do not encourage women to enter politics remain pervasive at all levels of society in Pacific Islands Countries. In fact, UNIFEM Pacific’s new Gender Equality in Political Governance (GEPG) program which was also launched at this workshop in Port Moresby aims to advance gender equality in political governance in the Pacific through increased participation and support of women as active citizens and leaders.

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Dear Quotaproject administrators,

I am a faithful user of quotaproject.org. I refer to it often in doing my own research and I use it as a teaching tool in many of my classes. I would like to know how often the information on the site is updated.

Thank you.

Lisa Baldez

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1. Quotas and Their Implementation Mechanisms: What are gender quotas and what types of quotas exist around the world? How necessary are quotas for increasing the representation of women in decision-making and power sharing positions?  
2. Quota Types and Electoral Systems: What types of quotas are most effective for increasing women’s political participation? What socio-political circumstances and electoral systems have proven most favorable for the introduction of gender quotas?   Is there a preferred percentage for gender quotas?    
3. Resistance to Quotas and How to Overcome It: What is the main criticism or source of resistance to the implementation of gender quotas? How can such resistance be overcome or counter-balanced? What institutional reforms should be carried out to promote and successfully implement gender quotas? In what ways is changing socio-cultural norms important for the success of gender quotas? 
4. Advocating for Quotas: What strategies have been used by women and grassroots organizations to promote the adoption and implementation of quotas? What are the main obstacles encountered by these organizations in their advocacy work?

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