RESEARCH ON WOMEN S PARTICIPATION AS CANDIDATES IN ELECTIONS FROM

Transcription

1 RESEARCH ON WOMEN S PARTICIPATION AS CANDIDATES IN ELECTIONS FROM JUNE 2017

2 CONTENTS Pages 1. Introduction 3 2. Background Research Methodology Research Approach Research Design Study Area Data Collection Methods Secondary Data Data Analysis Techniques Data Analysis Results Findings Discussions Conclusion Recommendations Political party structures-women and men in political party hierarchy 21 References 24 ABBREVIATIONS ALCP All Liberian Coalition Party APD Alliance for Peace and Democracy ANC Alternative National Congress BCPA Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action CDC Congress for Democratic Change CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women CSOs Civil Society Organizations CUP Citizens Unification Party COTOL Coalition for Transformation of Liberia FAPL Free Alliance Party of Liberia FDP Free Democratic Party GDPL Grassroots Democratic Party of Liberia LPL Labor Party of Liberia LDP Liberia Destiny Party LEP Liberia Empowerment Party LNU Liberia National Union LRP Liberia Reformation Party LTP Liberia Transformation Party LP Liberty Party MOGCSP Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection MOVEE Movement for Economic Empowerment MPC Movement for Progressive Change NDP National Democratic Coalition NEC National Elections Commission NGO Non-Governmental Organization NPP National Patriotic Party NRP National Reformation Party NUDP National Union for Democratic Progress NDPL National Democratic Party of Liberia OCPL Original congress Party of Liberia PUP People s Unification Party PDP Progressive Democratic Party PPP Progressive People s Party RULP Reformed United Liberia Party SPSS Statistical Package for Social Science version 18.0 ULD Union of Liberian Democrats UDA United Democratic Alliance UNDP United Nations Development Programme VC Victory for Change i ii

3 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The research study on women s participation as candidates in elections from was commissioned by the National Elections Commission in 2016 to establish a base line data on the status of women and men as candidates in the elections conducted between 2005 and 2015 and in elected offices. The outcome of the study was meant to inform key stakeholders like political parties, government, CSOs, development partners on the reality on the ground as they promote gender equality and increased women participation in the 2017 elections. The outcome of the study was also meant to be provide lessons learnt and best practices which can be replicated by female aspirants, female candidates and political parties fielding female candidates for the 2017 elections; building on the strengths to enable more women to be nominated as aspirants, candidates and eventually be elected into the legislature; and possibly to the presidency as they would be addressing the challenges and constraints experienced by the women candidates in the previous elections between 2005 and The research report has been ready at the right time as processes for candidate nominations are about to start. It is a useful and relevant document to all stakeholders involved in the election processes. Female aspirants and candidates, political parties, CSOs, government entities, UN Agencies and development partners and other stakeholders are encouraged to read and use the information provided to improve on the strategies that gear towards increasing women s participation as aspirants, candidates, and voters and as election workers in the 2017 elections. NEC would like to thank Cllr Mamaka Bility, the Lead Gender Consultant and the research team who conducted the research; all political parties and other organizations for the time and valuable information provided to the research team; NEC staff for the valuable support provided to the research team; organizations and individuals involved in the different stages and processes of the research. In particular, special thanks should go to UNDP Election Project for the technical and financial support, The Swedish Embassy and The European Union, for the financial support. Last but not least, The National Elections Commission would like to extend appreciation to all whose names were not mentioned, but directly or indirectly contributed to the success of production of the research report. 1. Introduction The primary purpose of this study is to examine the factors that hinder or facilitate the participation of women in electoral politics. Over the years, the issues regarding women political right and equal participation in electoral politics is becoming increasingly prominent in world politics and received varied treatment by the United Nations and its specialized agencies. The principle of equality of men and women was recognized in the United Nations Charter (1945), and later in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Liberia is a signatory of these declarations. Notwithstanding, the international declarations affirming the rights and equality between men and women, the issues of women participation continues to bedevil political systems and countries throughout the world. Available literature shows that women still constitute a disproportionately small proportion of those participating in political decisionmaking and leadership roles in various political and social institutions. There is sufficient evidence to support the assertion that women have potentials, which can be tapped to meaningfully enhance social, economic and political development of nations. This awareness has led to efforts by governments complemented by civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), multilateral institutions and individuals at the micro, meso and macro levels to actualize these potentials. Efforts by recognized groups and entities have, in some instances, yielded positive results, there is still much to be done to ensure that women in fact, contribute their skills and talents to the political, social and economic enhancement of their nations and communities. This is because figures available with regard to the number of women in politics and public offices are still below expectation. The expectation can be achieved through a variety of identified means. However, if efforts to address the problem of women s participation in politics and elections are to be successful, then there is the need for factual information and empirical evidence about current trends of participation in terms of numbers and impact. This will help focus and develop a systematic approach towards addressing the problem of underrepresentation of women with a view of taken affirmative measure to leverage women s potential and contribution to leadership roles in society. It is against this backdrop that this study examines the participation and eminent presence of women not only in politics specifically but also in elected offices in general due to their semeiotic relationship to the body politic. This will enable key stakeholders like political parties, government and state institutions and agencies and other civil society groups to know the reality on the ground and act appropriately to address the identified problems. 2. Background Owing to the dearth of crucial documents to detail the trend of women s participation in elections in Liberia as well as to determine the level of women s participation in political parties, this study was initiated to provide high quality and reliable source of information to the National Elections Commission in order to effectively respond to critical issues of women s participation in elections as candidates. It is envisioned that the document will be used by the various sections in iii 1

4 the NEC, MOGCSP, political parties and other working groups as a baseline for their work to promote women s participation. It is a guide in working to increase women s participation, a credible, reliable evident base for information, as well as targeted policymaking and programming for equitable gender outcomes in elections and politics. Research Objective The overall objective of this research is to determine how female candidates participated in the general and presidential elections from 2005 to More specifically to: Identify the counties in which women candidate contested; Determine whether they participated as individual or through a political party; Determine whether or not the candidate won during the elections; and Identify the position the candidates contested. 2.0 Research Methodology 2.1 Research Approach This study will employ survey method. Data was collected with the help of a structured questionnaire and analyzed with equal weights. Desk review played a major role in the data collection. Using a questionnaire, retrospective review on women participation in recently held elections will be collected, collated and analyzed. 2.2 Research Design 2.4 Data Collection Methods The main data collection methods will be secondary data including questionnaires. The application of this method is discussed independently for the sake of clarity. 2.5 Secondary Data Secondary data already exist and were collected for some other purposes, but will be used in current research project retrospectively (Kothari, 2004). One of the basic advantages of using secondary data is that it helps the researcher to save time and money. If the information that answers the research questions already exists, it is a waste of time and resources to recollect existing data for the sake of citing primary data sources. Secondary data used in this work will include both published and non-published materials in the NEC archives. The former are different books, articles from journals, pamphlets, and technical papers. The latter include meetings minutes, newspapers, files, reports and action plans. The fact that secondary data was collected for other different purposes is one of the limitations of the secondary data (Kane and O Reilly, 2001). 2.6 Data Analysis Techniques Bickle and Bogdan (1992) maintain that data analysis is a systematic process which involves working with data, organizing and breaking them into manageable units, synthesizing them, searching for patterns, discovering what is important and what is learnt and deciding what to tell others. This study will employ quantitative data analysis. Orodho (2003) defines research design as the scheme, outline or plan that is used to generate answers to research problems. It can be regarded as an arrangement of condition for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevant information with the research purpose. Generally, the purpose of a research design is to help a researcher control the process of data collection and data interpretation (Kothari, 2004). The study employed concurrent triangulation whereas interviews will be conducted with women at political parties headquarters, desk review and a retrospective data collection by archives on women who participated in the elections during the past ten years. 2.3 Study Area This study will be conducted at all political party headquarters and the election commission office. Sampling procedures will be purposive sampling strategy to select participants for the study. This sampling strategy indicates that the investigator aims to access information rich sources that provide an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon by those who have experienced it (Stacey, 1969; Taylor & Bogdan, 1998). Accordingly, a carefully selected population of women was enrolled, consistent with the main purpose of the study namely, to capture thick descriptions of women s participation in the electoral process as well as understanding and views with regard to the political party politic (Punch, 2005). 2.7 Data Analysis Data analysis is the computation of a certain measures along with a quest to search for patterns of relationship that exist among data groups (Kothari, 2004). Univariate analysis of data will be used because it involves the analysis of one variable at a time. Therefore, frequency tables will be used because it provides the number of people or items and the percentage belonging to each of the categories for the variable in question that can be used in relation to all of the different types of variables. Statistical Package for Social Science version 18.0 (SPSS) will be used to perform the analyses by esteeming and presenting tables, graphs, percentages and generating the frequency tables. Diagrams will also be used to ensure easy understanding and interpretation of the data that represent the response of the respondents. 2.8 Results The level of women s representation in national legislatures or executives in any given country is predicated on a wide range of factors. These include the general progress towards attaining equality of rights and opportunities among women and men in the public and private sectors, the design of political and electoral systems and the level of institutionalization of, and transparency in, political decision-making. Within this complex set of factors, however, political parties are increasingly referred to as the gatekeepers of democracy and of women s political 2 3

5 participation in particular. The results below are similar to results in other countries, especially in Africa where women represent only 5percent in the Parliament. Table 1 Women Candidates Contested Election by County ( ) County Number of Candidates Percentage Bomi Bong Gbarpolu Grand Bassa Grand Cape Mount Grand Gedeh Grand Kru Lofa Margibi Maryland Montserrado Nimba River Cess River Gee Sinoe Table 1 shows the county each candidate contested in and from the data, it is reported that Montserrado County was home of 34.4 percent of the candidates followed by Bong County with 10.3 percent. Lofa and Nimba Counties reported 6.7 percent while Margibi and Bomi Counties reported 5.5 percent respectively. Also, Grand Bassa, and Cape Mount Counties reported 4.7 percent of Candidates contested. Table 2 Women Candidate per County of Birth County Number of Candidates Percentage Bomi Bong Gbarpolu Grand Bassa Grand Cape Mount Grand Gedeh Grand Kru Lofa Margibi Maryland Montserrado Nimba River Cess River Gee Sinoe Table 2 shows the county of birth of the contestants, it can be seen that 30.8 percent of candidates was born in Montserrado County, 10.7 percent in Bong County, 7.9 percent in Lofa, 7.1 percent in Nimba, 6.3 percent in Margibi County and 5.5 percent in Bomi, as well as Cape Mount County with 5.1 percent respectively. The data also indicated that the birth place of the candidates was not necessarily the place they contested. Table 3 Candidate representation Category Number of Candidates Percentage Political Party Independent Table 3 shows that 85.8 percent of candidates who contested the elections were from political parties, while 14.2 percent were independent candidates. Political parties act as gatekeepers as a result of the exceptional and essential role they play in the democratic process. Parties represent the views and perspectives of citizens both men and women and communicate these into appropriate public policy fora. Political parties also serve as the channel through which women and men emerge as elected representatives or political decision makers. Given these factors demonstrate why the majority of women aligned themselves with political party instead of going independent. Table 4 Source of Income Source Number of Candidates Percentage Public sector Private sector Self employed Unemployed Table 4 shows the sources where women contestants generate their income. It can be seen that 59.3 percent of women contestants generate their income from the public sector. This is followed by those candidates who reported being self-employed with 20.9 percent and 11.1 percent for those who said they were in the private sector. Socio-economic conditions play an important role in the enrollment of women to legislatures in both long-standing and new democracies. The social and economic status of women in society has a direct in?uence 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. The economic crisis in the socalled developing democracies has intensi?ed the risk of poverty for women. Poverty, like unemployment, is increasingly being feminized. 4 5

6 Table 5 Candidate Representation by Party Party Number of Candidates Percentage All Liberian Coalition Party Alliance for Peace and Democracy (APD) Alternative National Congress Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Citizens Unification Party Coalition for Transformation of Liberia (COTOL) Free Alliance Party of Liberia Free Democratic Party Grassroots Democratic Party of Liberia Labor Party of Liberia Liberia Destiny Party Liberia Empowerment Party Liberia National Union Liberia Reformation Party Liberia Transformation Party Liberty Party Movement for Progressive Change National Democratic Coalition National Patriotic Party National Reformation Party National Union for Democratic Progress National Democratic Party of Liberia Original congress Party of Liberia People s Unification Party Progressive Democratic Party Progressive People s Party Reformed United Liberia Party Union of Liberian Democrats United Democratic alliance Unity Party Victory for Change Independent Table 5 shows that from 2005 to 2015 (2 General elections, 14 By-elections, and 1 Special Senatorial election) 16.9 percent of the women that participated in the elections ran on the Unity Party ticket followed by 12.3 percent of women who ran on the Liberty Party ticket. Congress for Democratic Change reported 11.1 percent of women who ran on the party ticket percent ran as Independent candidates. Other parties that feature more women include National Patriotic Party, Coalition for Transformation of Liberia, Movement for Progressive Change and National Democratic Party of Liberia. Table 6 Occupation of Candidate Occupation Number of Candidates Percentage Professional Non-professional Table 6 shows that 80.2 percent of candidates were professionals, (means these women have formal education, have knowledge and skills, are part of the working class) while 19.8 percent were unprofessional which also means women who do not have any skills or are not educated. Table 7 Age of candidate Age group Number of candidate Percentage Table 7 shows the age group of the candidates which provides that 23.7 percent were in the age group years followed 22.9percent of candidates who were in the age group years, 15.4 percent candidates were in the age group years. The average age of the candidates was 48 years. The Minimum age was 27 years and the Maximum was 79 years. Table 8 Elected Women Candidates by County and Year County Total Bomi Bong Gbarpolu Grand Bassa Grand Cape Mount Grand Gedeh Grand Kru Lofa Margibi Maryland Montserrado Nimba River Cess River Gee Sinoe Total 116 (45.8%) 1 (0.39%) 3 (1.2%) 108 (42.7%) 2 (0.79%) 20 (7.9%) 3 (1.2%)

7 Table 8 shows that 45.8 percent of candidates contested 2005 general elections while 42.7 percent contested 2011 general elections. In 2014, 7.9 percent of the candidates contested and also 2009 and percent of women contested. The total number of males who contested was 2341, females who contested were 576 and the total number of people who contested was The total number of votes obtained was 2,276,703 votes (contestants were women). Table 9 Election candidate contested Election Number of Candidate Percentage General elections Special Senatorial elections By-elections Table 9 illustrates that 85.8 percent of the candidates participated in general elections. The Special Senatorial elections only 7.9 percent of candidates participated and 5.5 percent contested the by elections. Table 10 Position candidate contested Position Number of Candidates Percentage President Vice President Senator Representative Table 10 shows that 72.3 percent of the candidates contested for the representative position, followed by 24.1percent of candidates who contested for the senatorial position. Those who contested for the presidency accounted for 2.0 percent. Table 11 Level contested Where Number of candidates Percentage District County National Table 11 shows that bulk of the candidates, 73.9 percent contested at the districts level followed by 19.4 percent that contested at the county level. Only 6.7 percent contested at the national which is the presidential position. Table 12 The number of Candidate successful in elections Successful Candidate Number of Candidates Percentage Yes No Table 12 shows that only 11.9 percent of the candidates who participated in the elections were elected to various positions. It reveals that women are still far from obtaining the 30 percent they are advocating for in parliament. The data further illustrates that less than 15 percent of the candidates took the first place in the country s elections Again, women around the world at every socio-political level are underrepresented in parliament and Liberia is no exception. In 2005, women hold barely 16 percent of parliamentary seats around the world. The factors that facilitate women s political participation vary with level of socio-economic development, geography, culture, and the type of political system. Women are not a homogeneous group; there are major differences between women, based on class, race, ethnicity, cultural background and education. The exclusion of women from decision-making bodies limits the possibilities for establishing the principles of democracy in a society, obstructing economic development and discouraging the attainment of gender equality. Table 13 Successful Candidate by Year Year Yes No Total (13.8percent) 100 (86.2) (100.0percent) (33.3percent) 2 (66.7) (10.2percent) 97 (89.8) (100.0) (5.0percent) 19 (95.0percent) (33.3) 2 (66.7) 3 Total 30 (11.9percent) Table 13 shows that 13.8 percent of the women candidates were successful in 2005 followed by 10.2 percent in 2011.The success rate of women who participated in the elections in Liberia from 2005 to 2015 is 11.9 percent. Political party structures-women and men in political party hierarchy Sex-disaggregated information and data was collected from 21 political parties for the purpose of analyzing the information to establish the status of representation and participation of women and men in decision making positions and the overall hierarchy of women and men within the political parties. This information included total number of members in political parties; as well as sex disaggregated data to show the proportion of female and male representation in political parties. The data also show representation of female and male occupying at least the five top decision-making positions: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary General, Vice Secretary General and Treasurer. Furthermore, the data shows the representation of women and men in the decision-making executive structures at national level. Table 14 below shows the total number of members, the proportion of women and men in each of the political parties; the table also shows the representation of women and men in the leadership and decision-making positions and in the executive bodies of political parties. 8 9

8 Table 14: Sex disaggregated data on membership and leadership in political parties 1. There is disparity in the data collected. Some political parties managed to provide all the information which was required for this study, while other political parties did not provide all information and data required. For example, two political parties did not provide data of their members; these are the Unity Party (UP) and Liberia National Union (LINU). But the same political parties provided data on the leadership positions at national level. One political party, UPP with the largest number of members, three hundred thousand members (300,000), did not provide sex-disaggregated data, therefore it is difficult to know the proportion of women and men in the party. The rest of the 18 political parties provided sex-disaggregated data of their members. Under this group, CDA is largest political party, with a total of 58,200 members, women and men constituting almost 50:50 percent. The political party with the least number of members is NPP which has 720 members, women constituting 23 percent and men constituting 77 percent; followed by ALCOP which has 3050 members and only 779 women members constituting 26 percent of the members and men constituting 74 percent of the members. The rest of the 15 political parties membership range between slightly above 2,400 and slightly above 7, 400; with women accounting between 39 percent and 57 percent. LPDP is leading in terms of female membership, women constitute 57 percent. Therefore in summary it can be concluded that 16 1 Name of PP Total no members Membership Leadership Rep in Executive Body % in Executive Body %women %men Chair/SG F/M Total Wom men % F % M UP Chair M LINU Chair M LPDP 3, Chair M LP 7, Chair M PUP 4, Chair M MOVEE 2, Chair M VFC 6, Chair M ALP 3, LTP 3, Chair M CDC 5, Chair M NPP VLT 3, Chair M NLP 3, GDPL 2, ALCOP 3, ULD 3, MDR 2, MPC 3, Chair M ANC 3, CDA 58, S/Gen M UPP 300, Chair M Information and data extracted from the NEC Research - Cllr Mamaka Bility, Principal gender researcher Political Party structure data, Compiled by 10 political parties with sex-disaggregated data had a good representation of women ranging from 39 to 57 percent. As regards to the participation of women and men in the five top positions of leadership and in the executive structures of political parties; which indicate the hierarchy of women and men in leadership positions in the top five positions: National Chairperson, Vice National Chairperson; Secretary General; executive positions at national and other levels, the information collected from political parties has a number of gaps. Not all political parties provided the relevant information and data on the leadership positions held by women and men. 13 out of 21 political parties reported on who held the chairperson, or vice chairperson, or secretary general, not a single party reported on the position of treasurer. All the 13 positions reported on were held by men. Eight (8) political parties did not report on the top leadership of their national level leadership. Fourteen (14) out of twenty one (21) political parties provided information and data on women and men s participation in the executive committees at national level. Seven (7) out of the twenty one (21) political parties did not provide information and data on the number of members of the executive committee. Information and data on the participation of women and men in leadership and in executive at other levels was provided by only nine (9) political parties out of the 21 political parties. However, the information provided by the 9 political parties has gaps and some of the information casts doubts to its accuracy. For example, information provided by five (5) out of the nine (9) political parties on the total number of members of the executive bodies and the representation of women and men in the executive bodies at national level is the same data presented for the executive bodies at other levels. This information will require further verification before it s used up. Therefore, analysis of the leadership positions held by women and men in the 21 political parties is limited to the positions held at national level only. The results of the analysis indicate a male dominated leadership. Despite the fact that 16 political parties has a good representation of its women members ranging from 39 to 57 percent women representation, yet nomination on leadership positions remain an issue. Women are not nominated to the key decision-making positions such as chairperson, vice chair, secretary general, vice secretary general, and treasurer. All the 13 leadership positions reported on are held by men. But when looking at the membership data political parties have good numbers of women members out of whom they can nominate to hold leadership positions. Qualitative information was not provided to know the reason why women are not nominated to leadership positions within the political parties. A need for a study to establish reasons as to why political parties are not nominating women to hold leadership positions within their party structures. As regards to the representation and participation of women and men in the executive bodies of the political parties at national level, 14 political parties provided information on the women and men representation in the executive bodies at the national level. Analysis of the statistical data reveals interesting results. Four (4) political parties, GDPL, CDA, UP and CDC have women representation ranging between 30 and 44 percent in the executive bodies at national level. The remaining 10 political parties have women representation ranging from 0 percent to 24 percent. 11

9 Representation of women and men in the executive bodies of all political parties indicates male dominance. Women continue to be excluded in the decision-making processes of political parties. Therefore the data available leads to the conclusion that leadership in political parties is male dominated; few women are nominated in the executive bodies. This analysis show that there is need for a gender assessment to establish the challenges confronting political parties to promote women s political participation within their own political parties, which can later be mirrored to promote women s participation in elections. Review of women s current position in the political party hierarchy at both counties and national levels in accordance to the revised elections law of 2014 shows that women are still underrepresented in the hierarchy. From the 21 political parties that participated in the review, women as founding members was 2.0 percent. Women participation in party executives at the national level was also less than 25 percent. Positions in party s executives occupied by women were at 24.0 percent and number of females in various party executives was at 15.0 percent. The only position women could be seen in the majority at the party s sub-committees was the women s leagues/wings, 42.0 percent. Given that women are underrepresented in all various political parties in Liberia, this serves as factors that likely to influence the degree and quality of women s participation in political parties and electoral processes. It is recommended that massive awareness among women is required along with incentives to encourage women involvement in the party electoral processes in Liberia. 2.9 Findings independent. Table 4 shows the sources where women contestants generate their income. It can be seen that 59.3 percent of women contestants generate their income from the public sector. This is followed by those candidates who reported being self-employed with 20.9 percent and 11.1 percent for those who said they were in the private sector. Socio-economic conditions play an important role in the enrollment of women to legislatures in both long-standing and new democracies. The social and economic status of women in society has a direct in?uence 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. The economic crisis in the socalled developing democracies has intensi?ed the risk of poverty for women. Poverty, like unemployment, is increasingly being feminized. Table 5 shows that from 2005 to 2015 (2 General elections, 14 By-elections, and 1 Special Senatorial election) 16.9 percent of the women that participated in the elections ran on the Unity Party ticket followed by 12.3 percent of women who ran on the Liberty Party ticket. Congress for Democratic Change reported 11.1 percent of women who ran on the party ticket percent ran as Independent candidates. Other parties that feature more women include National Patriotic Party, Coalition for Transformation of Liberia, Movement for Progressive Change and National Democratic Party of Liberia. Table 6 shows that 80.2 percent of candidates were professionals, (means these women have formal education, have knowledge and skills, are part of the working class) while 19.8 percent were unprofessional which also means women who do not have any skills or are not educated. Table 1 shows the county each candidate contested in and from the data, it is reported that Montserrado County was home of 34.4 percent of the candidates followed by Bong County with 10.3 percent. Lofa and Nimba Counties reported 6.7 percent while Margibi and Bomi Counties reported 5.5 percent respectively. Also, Grand Bassa, and Cape Mount Counties reported 4.7 percent of Candidates contested. Table 2 shows the county of birth of the contestants, it can be seen that 30.8 percent of candidates was born in Montserrado County, 10.7 percent in Bong County, 7.9 percent in Lofa, 7.1 percent in Nimba, 6.3 percent in Margibi County and 5.5 percent in Bomi, as well as Cape Mount County with 5.1 percent respectively. The data also indicated that the birth place of the candidates was not necessarily the place they contested. Table 3 shows that 85.8 percent of candidates who contested the elections were from political parties, while 14.2 percent were independent candidates. Political parties act as gatekeepers as a result of the exceptional and essential role they play in the democratic process. Parties represent the views and perspectives of citizens both men and women and communicate these into appropriate public policy fora. Political parties also serve as the channel through which women and men emerge as elected representatives or political decision makers. Given these factors demonstrate why the majority of women aligned themselves with political party instead of going Table 7 shows the age group of the candidates which provides that 23.7 percent were in the age group years followed 22.9 percent of candidates who were in the age group years, 15.4 percent candidates were in the age group years. The average age of the candidates was 48 years. The Minimum age was 27 years and the Maximum was 79 years. Table 8 shows that 45.8 percent of candidates contested 2005 general elections while 42.7 percent contested 2011 general elections. In 2014, 7.9 percent of the candidates contested and also 2009 and percent of women contested. The total number of males who contested was 2341, females who contested were 576 and the total number of people who contested was The total number of votes obtained was 2,276,703 votes (contestants were women). Table 9 illustrates that 85.8 percent of the candidates participated in general elections. The Special Senatorial elections only 7.9 percent of candidates participated and 5.5 percent contested the by elections. Table 10 shows that 72.3 percent of the candidates contested for the representative position, followed by 24.1 percent of candidates who contested for the senatorial position. Those who contested for the presidency accounted for 2.0 percent. Table 11 shows that bulk of the candidates, 73.9 percent contested at the districts level followed 12 13

10 by 19.4percent that contested at the county level. Only 6.7 percent contested at the national which is the presidential position. Table 12 shows that only 11.9 percent of the candidates who participated in the elections were elected to various positions. It reveals that women are still far from obtaining the 30 percent they are advocating for in parliament. The data further illustrates that less than 15 percent of the candidates took the first place in the country s elections Again, women around the world at every socio-political level are underrepresented in parliament and Liberia is no exception. In 2005, women hold barely 16 percent of parliamentary seats around the world. The factors that facilitate women s political participation vary with level of socio-economic development, geography, culture, and the type of political system. Women are not a homogeneous group; there are major differences between women, based on class, race, ethnicity, cultural background and education. The exclusion of women from decision-making bodies limits the possibilities for establishing the principles of democracy in a society, obstructing economic development and discouraging the attainment of gender equality. Table 13 shows that 13.8 percent of the women candidates were successful in 2005 followed by 10.2 percent in 2011.The success rate of women who participated in the elections in Liberia from 2005 to 2015 is 11.9 percent. Table 14 shows the proportion of women as members of political parties ranging from 23 to 57 percent, yet when it comes to leadership within the political parties, women are sidelined and marginalized, leadership in political parties is male dominated Discussions Millennium Development Goals indicates that women equally participate with men in power and decision making as part of women s fundamental right to participate in political life. Women participation is at the core of gender equality and women s empowerment (UNDP 2003). However, women in Liberia are still lacking behind like their counterparts in other part of the world. Representation is very low, relative to stated national and international positions. Platform of Action (BDPA), which requires governments to attain a 30percent benchmark for women s representation in all public decision making position. This research indicates that among women in Liberia the benchmark is at 12.0 percent which is below the requested 30percent governments are required to attain Conclusion Despite considerable progress over the last decade to promote meaningful participation of women in Liberia s political and electoral affairs, the nagging gap in gender politics persists. However, this report suggests that having women in key and strategic leadership roles has a positive effect on women s contesting electoral positions across the country. At the moment only 12 percent of elected official positions are held by women. (1) Mobilizing grassroots support for women candidates (2) providing financial resources for women to contest electoral posts, (3) encouraging women to participate in electoral politics are some of the strategies that could enhance women overall participation. This research indicates that women play important roles in campaigning and mobilizing support for their parties. The effort can be leveraged to advocate for women to occupy decision-making positions in these structures. One major characteristics of society that correlates with women s representation levels is a country s state of development. Development leads to a weakening of traditional values, decreased fertility rates, increased urbanization, greater education and labor force participation for women. Attitudinal changes in social forces leading to changing perceptions and norms regarding the appropriate role for women in society is critical to removing the financial, social and political barriers to women s involvement in political activities. Such changes are vital to increasing women s political resources and reduce resistance to legislation and progressive advocacy for ending discrimination against women in politics. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights signed by Government of Liberia states that everyone has the right to take part in the government of her or his country regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, religion or creed. Women constitute over 50 per cent of the population in Liberia and their equal right of access to political decision-making positions and participation is a national imperative. Because of low representation, women who want to enter politics?nd that the political, public, cultural and social space is often unfriendly or even hostile to them. A quick look at the current composition of political decision makers in any region provides evidence that women still face numerous obstacles in expressing and shaping their own interests (International IDEA, 2002). According to UNDP (2003), although women constitutes two third of the world s working hours, produce half of the world s food and above all, bear and rear children, women continue to suffer from all forms of discrimination and from the absence of adequate protection against violence. Also, according to Meaza (2009), Ethiopia is party to all major human right treaties in which Liberia is no exception including the most important women s conventions, i.e., CEDAW which calls for equal participation of women in public decision making, Beijing Declaration and This is why attainment of the goal of equal participation of women and men in decision-making positions will provide a gender balance ensuring that women meaningfully contribute to the development of Liberian society. The diversity of perspectives and experiences, skills and talents can only benefit the society if their voices are heard in all corridors of power as a catalyst for national development Recommendations 1. Women are not a homogeneous group. Therefore, differences among women, based on class, socio-economic status ethnicity, cultural background and education should be considered in promoting women for contested positions in various parts of the country; 14 15

11 2. Political parties should garner sufficient?nancial support for women candidates to enable them take part in the electoral as winner based on the merit of the enormous social mobilization power during political campaigns. 3. Gender assessment should be conducted within political parties to establish root causes of the marginalization of women in political leadership within the parties. 4. Make the selection and nomination process within political parties transparent in order to have more women involve in party political because there are biased against women in that male characteristics are emphasized and often become the criteria. 5. Institute a gender quota system as one of several measure to create an enabling environment for women to participate in leadership roles in society 6. NEC should develop and implement customized training on leadership and governance to enable women to acquire the communication, fundraising, advocacy and professional skills to participate in electoral politics, more effectively. 7. Women should partner with economic empowerment NGOs to produce goods and services to help remove the financial constraints that act as barrier to women full and equal participation in electoral politics. 8. Promote issues based advocacy through the development of communication skills and mass media techniques. 9. Since political parties are the gateway to entry in politics, women should organize grassroots movements to register voters and sharpen these advocacy skills in political party decision making. 10. These strategies should be tailored to particular phases of the electoral process: preelection, election and post-election period. Pre-election: Establish consensus among party leaders to promote women candidates. Identify incentives and activities to encourage women to join progressive parties in terms of women representation. Assist women to develop cogent and compelling campaign platform that can register voters and voting for women candidates. skills and competencies and name recognition; Post-election period: develop and implement gender action plans to assist successful women candidates to ensure that women have access to the resources to be successful politicians; Assist women to develop the necessary legislative and negotiation skills to be successful elected officials in the national legislature; Promote the membership of women in key legislative committees and policy making roles in the national legislature. These recommendations are the bedrock for women to succeed in elections and become successful candidates and elected officials. Acting on these recommendations will build the con?dence of a cross section to overcome traditional patriarchy and see women as credible and trusted decision makers and leaders. Effective engagement with mass media to communicate the positive attributes of women and how women s participation in society is not just a matter of fundamental human rights but critical to the development of a society that will work for all citizen. References Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, Millennium Development Goals, available at < International IDEA, 2002, Women in Parliament, Stockholm ( UNDP (2003). Empowering Women the Key to Achieving the Millennium Development Goal. Meaza Ashenafi (2009). Factors Affecting Women Participation in Politics and Decision making. A Dissertation of MA Thesis Kothari, C, (1993). Research methodology, Rajasthan India New age International (p) Ltd. Kane, E and O. Reilly, B (2001). Doing our own Research. London: Marion Boyars. Publishers. Punch, K. F. (2005). Introduction to social research quantitative and qualitative approaches. Sage publication LTD 1 Oliver s yard 55 city road London ECLY 1SP. Election: for partnership to diversify the support base of women candidates and raise money to support women candidates. Conduct targeted and tailored training to help women develop fund raising Stacey, M. (1969). Methods of Social Research. Headington Hill Hall, Oxford: Pergamon Press Ltd. Taylor, S. J, & Bogdan, R. (1998). Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods: A Guide Book and Resource, 3rd Ed. NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc