WUNRN
Asia-Pacific - Actions to Fast-Track Women in Politics
By Thin Lei Win - September 20, 2012
BANGKOK (TrustLaw) – It will be 50 years before parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region achieve gender balance if women’s participation remains at its current pace, according to a new report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Half of the more than 4.2 billion people living in the Asia Pacific region are female, yet just over 18 percent of national parliament members are women, while the global average is slightly less than 20 percent, according to the UNDP report on gender equality in elected office, which proposes a six-point plan to fast-track greater involvement of women.
“Development cannot be effective if decision-making excludes 51 percent of the world’s population,” the report said.
“Legislative bodies with members drawn from diverse backgrounds and outlooks are generally more innovative.”
In some Pacific islands, there are no women
parliamentarians and only one each in
“On average, women are less than 10 percent
of ministers in Asia- Pacific (excluding
It is recommending six steps to increase women’s participation in politics, which include:
*Constitutional reform to entrench women’s rights;
*Transforming electoral systems and party laws to make them more inclusive;
*Instituting legal quotas requiring certain numbers of women;
*Changing internal political party rules;
*Making it easier for women to develop political skills;
*The creation of more gender-sensitive
parliaments.
DEVELOPMENT, DEMOCRACY AND WOMEN IN POLITICS
The report also paints a complex picture of two common assumptions on women’s rights – that more developed countries, and the process of democratisation strengthen gender equality and female empowerment.
Legislatures in
According to UNDP, the highest proportion
of women in parliament – 56.3 percent – is found in
The process of adopting a new democratic constitution and electoral system can reduce the number of women in parliament, the report found.
“In the short-term, at least, the transition to democracy does not, by itself, automatically strengthen the representation of women,” it said.
“The one-party Communist states of
Women in elected office not only strengthen democratic participation but they also give priority to bread-and-butter issues that affect people’s daily lives, the report said.
“Evidence from