Women in

Politics
By Amber, Tierra, & Waishan

Authors
Ann Wicks
Certified Professional Accountant
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Caleton University

Raylene Lang-Dion
Masters Degree in Political Science

Summary
In 2006 only 5.7% of the worlds 191
nations were led by women
Overview of the challenges women face
while seeking elected office
People view women in politics as
unnatural
Policies that are in place around the world

We Will Discuss
1.Why Women Dont Participate in
Politics
2.Why It Is Important To Elect
Women
3.Why It Is Time For New
Regulations

Why Women Dont Participate In

Politics

 Although women play important roles in

community and informal organizations, their
representation in public office remains
considerably lower than that of men
Sexism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orq106sacxY
Party recruiters acknowledge a preference for
masculine traits

Canadas electoral system makes it difficult

First-past-the-post System
Candidate with most votes wins a seat in
the house of commons
Can encourage tactical voting
Do not need majority to win
Ridings can be represented by a single
MP (could have less than 50% of votes)

Perceived outlook of
women

Nagging tone
When Barack Obama speaks, men hear take off for the
future.
When Hilary Clinton speaks, men hear take out the garbage.
Attire
Dumpy pantsuit
bee-hind looks like a tree-trunk in those boxy, doublebreasted nightmare pantsuits
Appearance
Relationships
Portrayal of women in the media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEoWSaM61NI

Psychological Barriers
Low self-esteem
Lack of assertive power; feeling isolated
Struggle against fraternity that exists in politics
between men (mens club)

Why is it important to elect

more women?

Role Models For Girlsmake them possible!

seeing women in politics tell young girls what they can be;
young girls cant be what they cant see
girls internalize feeling of incompetence in leadership, feeling
can even be internalized misogyny (men lead, women follow)
perpetual cycle of gendered leadership roles
the general opinion that women are not fit to be leaders will
prevent them from developing potential even if they are
talented leaders

True Representative Democracy

women make up more than half the population
currently, small minority of female legislators
represent 52% of population

Women Focus On Different

Issues
historically, the myth that women have unvarying
political interests excluded them from political
participation (elective offices)
Males claimed they understood womens needs, which
were determined by reproductive capacity
no need to have women articulate their own interests,
join in political debates about laws pertaining to them,
or exercise power directly

studies show female politicians focus more on

gender equality, reproductive rights, civil rights,
senior care, childrens welfare, healthcare

Women Focus On Different

Issues
example is shown by D.L. Dodsons research that the
Womens Health Initiative (1991) was passed only due
to women in Congress fighting for it
before the program, most of medical research on heart
disease was done on men, despite women being twice
as susceptible to heart disease

Because we represent half the

population, I have always felt the special
concern and the unique responsibility to
single out those issues that are so
important and critical to the future of
women and to make changes, because
their voices cannot be heard otherwise.

Senator Olympia Snowe

Women Have Different

Governing Styles
studies reveal that women have different ways of
governing
study at Purdue University on state legislature committee
chairs reveals that women are generally more cooperative
and emphasize consensus-building while men are more
aggressive

creating a new equal gender ratio will yield a more

effective and balanced system that has more options in
making decisions, forming solutions, and creating
policies

To be clear
It isnt the gendered psychological profile or
biological differences that will make women great
candidates, but their experience as women.
To foresee different problems, create different solutions,
have different perspectives, prioritize different issues
these are reasons enough to make room for more diverse
leaders.
Canada needs more voices.

It Is The Root Of A Systemic

Problem
This situation of lack of womens
representation can be seen as both a
result of, and a contributor to, perpetual
gender inequality in any issue you can
think of.
Lets do an activity to illustrate how the
system is currently set up.

Why It Is Time For New

Regulations

Lets take a closer look at types of

regulations that have been
implemented around the world

Proportional Representation Systems

Multi member district instead of single
member
Number of seats is based proportional to
the amount of support from their voters
Example: 10-member district and a party wins 50%
of the vote, they win 5 seats
Better representation
Fewer wasted votes

Candidate Quotas
Must have a minimum number of
candidates that are women
Options:
Legal Candidate Quotas
Laid down in the constitution that
forces all political parties to obey
Voluntary Candidate Quotas

Reserved Seats
Set aside a certain number of seats for
women
Sometimes only temporary measure until
barriers are removed
Example:
Rwanda 30% of all seats
Tanzanie 20% of all seats and allocated to the
political parties in proportion to the number of
seats won in an election

Gender Neutral Quotas

60/40 Rule
There is to be no more than 60% of one
gender and no less than 40% of one
gender

Ex: Sweden

Analysis of Quotas:
In 2005:
More than 40 countries introduced
legal quotas
More than 50 other countries
voluntarily introduced quotas

Pros:

Helps compensate for any barriers

Everyone has a right to equal
representation
Gives opportunity to both sides to
representation
Cons:
Some may argue that elections should be about
ideas and platforms
Not social categories
Can create conflict

Country Presen
Year
Percentage
t
Introduce of Women in
System
Parliament
d
Argentina
30%
1991
34.1%
Rule
Belgium
33%
1994
35.3%
Rule
Rwanda
30%
2003
48.8%
Rule
Uganda
56
1995 &
24.7%

A Brighter Future For Canadian

Politics
Shortly after the Liberal victory of the
2015 election, Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau kept his promise to Canadians
in bringing gender parity to the
Cabinet, selecting 30 candidates made
up of exactly 50% men and women.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydz7g7KyTCM