International IDEA Women in Politics

Socio-Economic Obstacles

The economic crisis in countries with so called "developing democracies" has intensified the risk of poverty for women, which, like unemployment, is likely to be increasingly feminized.

Socio-economic conditions play a significant role in women's legislative recruitment within both long-standing and new democracies. It goes without saying that the social and economic status of women in society has a direct influence on their participation in political institutions and elected bodies. For example, researchers point to the correlation between women's legislative recruitment and the proportion of women working outside the home, as well as the percentage of women college graduates. According to some researchers, socio-economic conditions take second place to electoral systems in women's legislative recruitment within established democracies.

Box 1. The Effect of Development and Culture on Women’s Representation

The socio-economic obstacles impacting on women's participation in parliament could be further classified as follows:

Poverty and unemployment;
Lack of adequate financial resources;
Illiteracy and limited access to education
and choice of professions;
The dual burden of domestic tasks and
professional obligations.

"The two most overwhelming obstacles for women in entering parliament are lack of constituents and lack of financial resources. Women move from their father’s home to their husband’s home to their in-laws home. They are like refugees. They have no base from which to develop contacts with the people or to build knowledge and experience about the issues. Furthermore, they have no money of their own; the money belongs to their fathers, their husbands or their in-laws. Given the rising cost of running an effective campaign, this poses another serious hurdle for women in the developing world."

Razia Faiz, former MP, Bangladesh

The Feminization of Poverty and Unemployment

For the first time in more than 25 years, the 1990s witnessed a drop in women’s labour force participation rates.

Women comprise 31 per cent of the total official labour force in industrially developed countries and 46.7 per cent world-wide. Many of the economic gains made by women in industrially developed countries since the 1960s are now in serious danger of being eroded, which seems to be a result of the restructuring of both the global and domestic economies. This is evident in the reversal of the long-term trend of women entering the work force: for the first time in more than 25 years, the 1990s witnessed a drop in women's labour force participation rates.

At the same time, in the majority of countries women's unpaid labour activity is twice that of men and the economic value of women's unpaid labour is estimated to be from 10 to 35 per cent of the world's GNP (or $ US 11 trillion). A significant gap exists between the status of women and men in all nations. Surveys reveal increasing gender discrimination in salaries, recruitment, promotion and dismissal, as well as growing professional segregation and the feminization of poverty. According to United Nations statistics, 1.3 billion persons in the world live in poverty and 70 per cent of them are women. The gender gap in earning is registered all over the world: a woman's average wage is equal to 75 per cent of a man's average wage (not including an agricultural worker's salary). The economic crisis in countries with so called "developing democracies" has intensified the risk of poverty for women, which, like unemployment, is likely to be increasingly feminized.

Women are major contributors to national economies through both their paid and unpaid labour. As far as the latter is concerned, rural women's input and their role as a significant female electorate should not be underestimated. Although the importance of women's biological and social roles is clear, their input in all spheres of life often goes unrecognized. Eradicating poverty will have a positive impact on women's increased participation in the democratic process. The economic empowerment of women, along with education and access to information will take women from the limitations of the household to full participation in politics and political elections.

The Dual Burden

In most countries women are carrying a disproportionate share of domestic work. Women's participation in politics is further constrained by poverty, lack of education, and access to information. It must be recognized that it is difficult for women to participate in political life when their major concern is survival and they have no choice but to spend much of their time trying to fulfill the basic needs of families. In addition to that however, some women may have full-time jobs as wives and mothers as well as other full-time careers (e.g., as teachers, lawyers, doctors). Becoming a member of parliament in these conditions might then be considered a third full-time job. ⁶

"Women believe that entering parliament means choosing between a private life or a public life. This is not the case. Instead, women should view their life as a continuum. They should decide what they want to achieve in life and prioritize these goals in chronological order. There is a certain right time to achieve each of these goals, whether it is becoming a wife, mother, professional or a parliamentarian. Life is long and women can achieve many things."

Anna Balletbo, MP Spain

CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER