Commission on the Status of Women

Transcription

1 Youth Movements: Protest! Power! Progress? Commission on the Status of Women Political Representation of Women Director: Avantika Yellapantula Assistant Director: Sofia Wernyj

2 CJMUNC Highland Park Model United Nations/Congress(HPMUNC). This document was created solely for the use of Central Jersey Model United Nations and Congress (CJMUNC) Other uses are not permitted without explicit permission from HPMUNC. Please contact us at hpmunc@gmail.com.

3 CJMUNC INDEX POLICY DILEMMA. 3 CHRONOLOGY. 3-4 ACTORS AND INTERESTS.4-5 CAUSES...5 PROJECTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 5-6 GOALS FOR COMMITTEE.6 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.7 BIBLIOGRAPHY

4 CJMUNC Policy Dilemma Fifty percent of the global population is female. Yet, across the globe make up a small percentage of the world s political leaders. Various factors, cultural and otherwise, contribute to this lack of representation that causes grave effects for women. Women do not have as significant an influence over the creation of legislation as their male counterparts, which is particularly problematic when discussing issues like reproductive rights. It is also important to acknowledge that women of color have even less political representation. The issue of underrepresentation of women in government extends beyond simply keeping power from women. Reduced political power of such a significant group hinders any nation s ability to succeed politically, socially, culturally. Chronology: The history of women in power dates as far back as the Paleolithic Ages. However, despite the arguments backing these claims, there are no concrete primary sources that prove the existence of matriarchal societies throughout history (Bramberger). Despite this, women throughout history have assumed positions of power; A few of the great female leaders from before the 18th century include Cleopatra, Boudicca, Catherine the Great and Elizabeth I ( Women who Changed the World ). Yet, it remains clear that women hold far fewer positions of power than their male counterparts. In modern times, more and more women have assumed powerful roles though they still typically remain the minority. In 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike was elected the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), for the first of three times. With this accomplishment, she became the first female head of government in the world. Only fourteen years later, the world received its first female president, Isabel Martínez de Perón, who became president of Argentina after serving as vice president to her husband until he was killed. Five years after that, Margaret Thatcher, Europe s first elected women came to power. She served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for eleven years, and was the leader of the conservative party for fifteen years (Time). Though these developments have only begun relatively recently, the amount of women in government over the last years has been great. As of 2000, % of the seats in national parliaments were held by women. In only seventeen years, that percentage nearly doubled, with the percentage for 2017 at %. ( Proportion of Seats ) However, world wide statistics differ from the statistics of individual nations. For example, the nations of Bolivia and Rwanda have governments with a female majority. ( Facts and Figures ) On the other side of the spectrum, many countries have a very small percentage of women in their government. As of April 1st, 2018, women made up 10% of government positions in over 30 countries ( Women in National Parliaments ). Other developments include gender quotas in government, which caught hold through the entire world after Israel s implementation in 1999, a gender quota which mandated that every publicly-traded company needed one female board member. This concept

5 CJMUNC grew, greatly serving modern women in government. A perfect example would be Bolivia, which requires that at least half of the government must be female ( Gender Quotas ). Actors and Interests Established Political Figures Established political figures wield significant power when considering female political representation.this is for a myriad of reasons, including (but not limited to) the control that these individuals have over the implementation of policies and programs and their influence on the future leaders. In the vast majority of countries, women remain the minority in politics. ( Proportion of Seats ) This means that the implementation of quotas or other programs must be passed by a male-dominated group that might see these type of policies as a threat to their own political power. Political Elitists But the politicians in office are not the only important actor in terms of politics; political elites are, as well. The term Political elites, in this context, refers to the group of people who have lots of power to sway their political parties and recruit potential candidates. According to a study from 2016, women are less likely to be recruited by political elites than men are, for (Butler). The study argues that this disadvantages women, not only because it results in fewer women running for office, but also because it diminishes the political ambition of women. If women would be considered more and approached by these individuals, there would be more female candidates running for various government positions. Rural Women Another major actor in this conflict are rural women. Rural women face excessive challenges: lower literacy rates, higher sexual assault rates and an overall lack of human rights ( RURAL WOMEN ). The two most pressing issues for rural women, in terms of their ability to run and be elected for office, are access to education and typical gender roles. Being educated is, obviously, a very important part of being eligible for any government position; however two-thirds of world s illiterate population are women. The majority of this group are rural women or women living in the developing world, who have a more limited access to education ( Women and Girls Education ). On top of this disadvantage, many rural women live a life in which they feel obligated to stay home due to the gender norms of their society. Due to these obligations, becoming a politician would not be feasible, because it would distract the women from their priorities and responsibilities. On the other hand, one could argue that college-educated women are another crucial actor in this issue, since college-educated women are more likely to become successful politicians, because of the importance of education. Women of Color Another actor pertaining to this issue is women of color. While women are underrepresented, women of color are even more so. This is due to a number of systematic

6 CJMUNC disadvantages that women of color face that should be addressed during this committee. The number of women of color in government is dramatically lower than the number of white women ( Facts and Figures ). This can be attributed to many possible causes, including the impact of the disadvantages of being both a women and a person of color. This increases stereotypes associated with women of color, and gives them very few role models in government, which leaves these women with little confidence in their ability as leaders (Beckwith). Possible Causes Though the problems that contribute to underrepresentation are numerous and depend greatly on specific women s circumstances, possible causes can be broken down into three keys factors: cultural hardships, socioeconomic differences, and a lack of confidence. Certain ideologies--previously touched upon--keep women in the household rather than seeking jobs elsewhere. More often than not, these beliefs have deep cultural roots, and going against them would be hard, or even dangerous ( RURAL WOMEN ). This type of mindset persists throughout the entire world,, though rural settings tend to contain a higher presence of them than urban places do. Though the statistics vary across the world, the gender wage gap is present across the majority of the world (Ortiz-Ospina). This economic difference gives women a disadvantage in politics. Along with that, being able to hold a government office is even harder for women who come from backgrounds with less education. Depending on a women s socioeconomic status, she may not have access to much education, or only have access to education of lesser quality. Because a portion of women are unable to obtain such a vital piece of being able to run for office, this demographic is cut out government completely. This is particularly harmful in countries where women are significantly less educated than men. The final possible cause is something that is not as often thought about: lack of confidence in women. This problem encompasses the idea that men do not believe in women as confidently as they believe in men, but mostly the fact that women are often less confident with themselves due to the fact that not many women are world leaders. Because there are not many women in government, women could be discouraged from thinking that they are able to succeed as a politician. Along with that, a study had proven that men respond to political recruitment more confidently than women do. This is due to the fact that not many women are leaders. (Preece) The connection between confidence and representation is a cycle. When a woman is confident enough to run for office, she increases the political representation of women. In turn, this increase of women in government makes other women more confident in their ability to run for office. Considering this cycle is a significant part of designing resolutions to solve this issue. Projections and Implications Due to the rising number of women in politics over the recent decades ( Proportions of Seats ), one could reasonably assume that this number will continue to rise at a similar rate. However, in order to sustain growth, it is important to consider what is causing it, as well as how much growth is necessary. An idea to consider while thinking about this is critical mass. The

7 CJMUNC paper, Analysing Women s Substantive Representation: From Critical Mass to Critical Actors, explains critical mass theory like this, According to critical mass theory, women are unlikely to have an impact until they grow from a few token individuals into a considerable minority, or critical mass, of all legislators. (Childs). Therefore, a reasonable projection would be to assume that the number of women in politics will grow until this number is hit. Quota systems, implemented in various countries around the world, are one way that nations have sought to increase representation. The purpose of a quota system is simple: to create a mandatory minimum of women in a certain part of the government that will ensure female representation. In theory, quotas relieve the stress that the few women women in government face, along with increasing the number of female voice in politics overall ( Gender Quotas ). When implemented properly, they can work extremely well. For example, the percentage of women in government in Bolivia jumped from 12% to 53% after the implementation of a quota ( Mapped ). Like any system, however, quotas have their flaws. Many argue that implementing quotas compromises democracy because they limit the voters ability to control who is elected Along with that, the quota requirements of some countries are not actually enforced, which defeats the purpose altogether ( Gender Quotas ) The implications of this rising number of female representation in governments across the globe are considerable, the biggest one of these being a spotlight on issues that affect women. As political representation of women increases, female-centric issues, including the wage gap, reproductive rights, and domestic violence, are more likely to be discussed at the local, national, and international levels. (Childs) Goals for committee: As always, the goal of this Model UN committee is to strive for consensus and understanding. Delegates are further expected to engage in thought-provoking dialogue and examine the issue of new and diverse perspectives. In terms of the topic, everyone should strive to understand the benefits and flaws of the quota systems, and the implications of installing them. Discussion about the roles of rural women and women of color in this issue is another vital piece to a successful and thorough discussion of this topic. It is also important to keep the overall theme of the conference, youth empowerment, in mind throughout the debate.

8 CJMUNC Discussion Questions: 1. How does the political empowerment of women affect youth, and vice versa? How can it be incorporated into debate? 2. How do cultural differences play into this discussion, and how can you acknowledge and respect these differences in debate? 3. What can be done to combat the internal bias and stigmatism that exists against women holding positions of power? 4. Would enforcing gender quotas help this issue, or only serve to work against democracy? 5. How do the problems that women in developed countries and women in developing countries face differ?

9 CJMUNC Bibliography A Brief History of Women in Power - Photo Essays. Time, Time Inc., content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307, ,00.html. Bamberger, Joan, The Myth of Matriarchy: Why Men Rule in Primitive Society, in M. Rosaldo & L. Lamphere, Women, Culture, and Society (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1974) Beckwith, A. LaSharnda, et al. The Underrepresentation of African American Women in Executive Leadership: What s Getting in the Way? Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, vol. 7, no. 4, 2016, pp Butler, Daniel M. Recruitment and Perceptions of Gender Bias in Party Leader Support. Political Research Quarterly, Sage Journals, 15 Sept. 2016, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/ / Childs, Sarah, and Mona Lena Krook. Critical Mass Theory and Women's Political Representation. Political Studies, Wiley/Blackwell ( ), 15 Feb. 2008, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ /j x/pdf. Facts and Figures: Leadership and Political Participation. UN Women, United Nations, July 2017, es. Gender Quotas. Gender Quotas, International IDEA, 2009, Mapped: Which Countries Have the Most Women in Parliament. Apolitical, 19 Sept. 2017, apolitical.co/solution_article/which-countries-have-most-women-in-parliament/. Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban. Six Key Facts about the Gender Pay Gap. Our World in Data, 19 Feb. 2018, ourworldindata.org/six-facts-pay-gap.

10 CJMUNC Preece, Jessica Robinson. If Party Leaders Want More Women to Run, They Need to Convince Them That the "Old Boys' Network" Will Support Them Too. London School of Economics, 8 Feb Proportion of Seats Held by Women in National Parliaments (%). Proportion of Seats Held by Women in National Parliaments (%) Data, The World Bank, 2018, data.worldbank.org/indicator/sg.gen.parl.zs?end=2017. RURAL WOMEN FACE PROBLEMS OF DISCRIMINATION AND MANIFOLD DISADVANTAGES Meetings Coverage and Press Releases. United Nations, United Nations, 16 Oct. 2007, Women and Girls' Education. Women ED Facts and Figure United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations, -days/international-womens-day-2014/women-ed-facts-and-figure/. Women in National Parliaments. Women in Parliaments: World Classification, Inter-Parliamentary Union, 1 Apr. 2018, archive.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm. Women Who Changed the World. Biography Online,