Women in Parliament:  Beyond Numbers

Press Release:
Women in Parliament:  Beyond Numbers

Stockholm, 22 August 1997 -- As the recent elections in Uganda, Great Britain and France demonstrate, women are finally finding their way into parliament. The next step of the process is to attempt to more clearly understand how women can make an impact policy making and legislation once elected. 

This was the focus of a two day workshop organized by International IDEA. Women parliamentarian from half a dozen countries discussed and shared experiences on strategies for women MP’s to make an impact on national legislation. "There is no real equality in power sharing and representation anywhere in the world," explained Birgitta Dahl, the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament. "Therefore the scepticism as to the impact of women in politics is invalid. As long as there has never been real equality there has never been a situation of equal power sharing." Dahl went on to highlight the importance of establishing networks, and of working across party lines for policy which is favourable to the women’s needs. "The working schedule at the Swedish parliament was designed for middle-class men, they have meetings in the evening and late into the night. How can a mother function like this. This concerns all women in parliament from across the political spectrum. " 

The question of education was stressed by Ms. Sushma Swaraj, the Speaker and Secretary General of the Lok Sagha party, who when elected to the Indian parliament in 1977 was the youngest cabinet Minster in her country. "Women need to understand how the parliament works, and how to use parliament to make changes. When new MP’s come to parliament in India the senior leaders of political parities must adopt the new members and teach them how to give a motion, how to join a committee and how to get on the speakers list. Women outside of parliament need to learn that they can become a member of parliament, just like me, a common woman, they too have the right to have political power." 

Ms. Margaret Dongo, independent member of parliament from Zimbabwe, who joined her first political party as a guerrilla fighter when she was 15, stressed the need to empower female politicians. "Courage, commitment and confidence -- the three C’s -- are needed for any politician. Often women lack confidence. They need to be empowered as citizens and as politicians they must work on policies and legislation that will empower women in the society. It is also essential that women have access to information, they must intervene in the consultation period and see legislation in its earliest stages."

"We must mainstream gender issues in parliament," said Ms. Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini MP from South Africa. "There is a need for a lot of gender awareness, organizing workshops for women, establishing special committees on the quality of life and status of women for both men and women. We must create formal structures and stay connected to civil society movements. One leading problem that women must overcome in parliament is that when one woman makes a mistake, it reflects on all women. This self-consciousness, this stigma must be changed."

Rawya Rashad Shawa, an independent member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, returned to the importance of education. "The answer is education. It is the top concern. Women coming into politics must lean how to start a dialogue, how to stress a point, make a speech and introduce a bill. This education must begin as soon as possible, but certainly once a woman is in parliament these fundamental skills must be learned." 

Some other key points that participants agreed would promote a greater impact by women were:

- The need for a positive gender bias when drafting each and every policy and legislation;

- The necessity to mainstream issues in every single committee and policy making body in parliament;

- The importance of the societal knowledge women bring into parliament; 

- The Importance of role of media, women must be visible in order to better impact on the political scene. 

- Normalising the fact women are part of the political process and normalising the relationship between women and men in the political process. 

The meeting was held as part of the process of drafting a handbook for women in parliament. The handbook will look at how women get into parliament, and will concentrate on strategies and mechanisms for making a difference once elected. "The handbook will be a practical tool for women to consult in their political career," says Dr. Azza Karam, the Enhancing Women’s Political Participation Project Manager. "This workshop, which is one of many consultative procedures that we are using, has shown how much information is available for young politicians. To be able to build on the experience of these women is practical and important." 

International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) was founded in February 1995. The Institute’s overall objective is to promote and advance sustainable democracy world-wide and to improve and consolidate electoral processes. To date, Members are Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana,Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, the International Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute, and Parliamentarians for Global Action. The Institute also has co-operative agreements with the International Commission of Jurists, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the United Nations Development Programme. Switzerland also contributes to the work of the Institute.