Women in Local Government in Asia and the Pacific

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1 Women in Local Government in Asia and the Pacific A co m parative analysis of thirteen countries

2 T his rep ort hig hlights Barriers to wom e n s involvem e nt Initiatives that have increase d wo men s participation The transform ative leadership that wo men provide Regional and country-level strategies for increasing women s involvem e nt

3 South Asia Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh South-East Asia Thailand, M alaysia, the Philippines East Asia and the Pacific China, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Ne w Zealand

4 Content of Report The Current Situation Factors That Affect W o m en s Involvem ent in Local Governm ent The Impact of Wo men As Transformative Leaders Proposals for Change

5 The Current Situation Women are underrepresented in local governm e nt in the Asia and Pacific region

6 Women in Local Government South Asia Sri Lanka India Pakistan Nepal Bangladesh % of seats 2 33 Not known

7 Women in Local Government South-East Asia Thailand M alaysia The Philippines % of seats 18.1* *urban seats only

8 Women in Local Government East Asia and the Pacific China Vietna m Japan A ustralia Ne w Zealand % of seats

9 Sri Lanka India Pakistan Nepal Bangladesh Thailand Malaysia Philippines China Vietnam Japan Australia NZ 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Women in Local Government and Central Government Local Government Central Government

10 Factors that Affect Women s Involvement in Local Government There are three key factors that affect wo men sinvolve m ent

11 Factors that Affect Women s Involvement in Local Government 1.La ws, practices and initiatives 2.Barriers 3.The political syste m

12 Laws, Practices and Initiatives that Ensure Participation a. Statutory provisions b. National policies and program m es c. Local govern ment require ments d. R ole of NG Os e. Training f. Regional and International Conferences g. Initiatives by wo m en in local govern m ent h. Data Collection

13 Barriers to Participation a. Fundam e ntal inequality b. Political and econo mic instability c. Discrimination d. The Male environ ment within politicalinstitutions e. Costs

14 Impact of the Political System on Participation a. The Local Govern m ent system b. Electoral syste m c. W ards versus at-large syste m s of elections d. A quota of reserved seats for w o men e. Access to and effectiveness of reserved seats f. Kinship ties g. Political party support for wom e n h. The adversarial nature of politics

15 Transformative Leadership Transform ative leadership is based on a ne w p olitical paradig m: a politics that is both transfor m ed to ensure that po wer is used to create change and develop people and co m m unities; it is non-hierarchical and participatory; and it gives priority to disadvantaged sectors. Politics are seen as transformational when they w ork for econo mic, social and political equality for w o m e n w ithin a hum a ne and sustainable society.

16 Transformative Leadership So me believe that: itis in the contradictory experience of progress and oppression that the transform ative po w er of wo men s political work is located Cohen, Jones and Tronto, Wom en Transforming Politics.An alternative Reader, 1997, p.3.

17 The Impact of Women as Transformative Leaders a. The issues they pro m ote b. Their style of leadership c. Their im pact on equality

18 The Issues They Promote These wom en say They have a greater sense of social issues an d the w ell bein g and w elfare of their com m u nities They have a com mit m e nt in i m proving the environ ment within their com munities They have different priorities They focus on change

19 Their Style of Leadership They say their leadership Is more inclusive, collaborative and consultative Is more tolerant of different points of vie w Is more people orientated Encourages participation

20 Their Style of Leadership Places a higher em p hasis on the importance of good comm unication with their com m u nities Uses dem ocratic and facilitative for m s of decision making Leads by example,focusing on the issues rather than personalities Is more assertive, innovative and conscientious

21 Their Impact on Equality They say they encourage equality by Encouraging more wo men to be politically aware and to participate They pro mote gender equity policies The provide role models for other women

22 Their Impact on Equality They improve the status of wo men They have changed the environm ent of local govern ment They have changed the focus of policies and services They have accelerated change

23 Proposals for Change T he priority is to increase significantly the num ber of w o m e n in local govern m e nt

24 A common strategy A co mprehensive country-level strategy that takes into account the specific issues related to the status of w o m e n in society, structures of governm ent and the culture of governance, needs to be discussed and adopted in order to increase the representation and participation of women in local governm ent

25 Changes Needed 1. The syste ms w ithin which local governm e nt operates 2. Attitudes towards wo men in local governm ent 3. Strategies to increase the nu m ber of women 4. Training

26 The Systems Within Which Local Government Operates A quota of reserved seats for wom e n Proportional representation syste ms of voting The nu m ber of elected positions at com munity level be maintained W ard systems EEO progra m m e s

27 The Systems Within Which Local Government Operates Pay ment Good governance policies Consultation processes Funding for gender and develop m ent W o m e n s standing co m mittees P olitical p arties to recruit w o m e n candidates

28 Attitudes Towards Women in Local Government Changes to the culture of Local Government Gender a wareness progra m m es Local Govern ment to be m ore wo men friendly O pportunities for ne wly elected w o m e n to learn the syste m

29 Strategies to Increase the Number of Women C ha nge policies and structures that perpetuate wo m en s subordinate status Policies on econo mic and social empowerment Co m m u nities and services that take account of the needs of w o m e n Financial support, childcare and training opportunities

30 Strategies to Increase the Number of Women W o m e n s associations M ore wom en encouraged to participate Funds to assist wo m e n to run for election Statistics to be collected to increase the visibility of women

31 Training Training program m es to help wom e n in Local Govern ment develop skills and self confidence Training for wom e n candidates W orkshops on gender awareness for women and men Training program m es for girls and young wo men on their potentialfor decision- making positions

32 Regional Support A regional structure needs to be considered as a pivotal part of changes p ut in place to ensure the nu m b e rs of w o m en in Local Governm e nt increase, training and support netw orks are established and to assist with ensuring that the political e nvironm e nt beco m es m ore w o m e n frie n dly and political agendas include w o m e n and developm ent issues.

33 Regional Action Establish regional targets for increasing the nu m ber of wo m en within timefram es and monitor progress made Pro mote exchange of experience, infor mation and co mparative research Pro mote regional,sub-regional and country based training progra m m es Resources to support training and ca mpaigns for wo men candidates

34 Conclusion This analysis and the Sum mit of W o m en M ayors and Councillors are first steps towards achieving gender balance in local govern ment. The momentum created by these activities must be built up o n if the goal of gender balance in local governm ent is to be achieved.

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