Governance

Gender Mainstreaming and Its Consequences in the European Union

Citation:

Fodor, Eva. 2006. “Gender Mainstreaming and Its Consequences in the European Union.” The Analyst: Central and Eastern European Review 2 (2): 1-16.

Author: Eva Fodor

Abstract:

In an ironic but presumably not coincidental twist of fate, West European governments and international organizations began insisting on the institutionalization of equal opportunities just as the East Europeans began to completely abandon the notion of women’s equality. In the course of the enlargement process, the candidate countries had to demonstrate their commitment to the EU’s equal opportunity directives; equal opportunities had to be guaranteed by law, and aspiring member states had to establish government agencies that support the realization of gender equality in society and offer legal remedies to those who can prove they have been subject to discrimination. Furthermore, they also had to develop coordinated and unified data collection in all walks of life, from poverty to sports. But what does the creation of equal opportunities for the sexes really mean, and what social ills can it be expected to cure? Does it have any significance for the post-communist EU member states? And how efficiently can they achieve its social objectives by employing the strategy of gender equality? These are the issues addressed by this article.

Topics: Gender, Gender Mainstreaming, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, International Organizations Regions: Europe

Year: 2006

Is There Life After Gender Mainstreaming?

Citation:

Rao, Aruna, and David Kelleher. 2005. “Is There Life After Gender Mainstreaming?” Gender & Development 13 (2): 57–69.

Authors: Aruna Rao, David Kelleher

Abstract:

In the world of feminist activism, we need to ask why change is not happening, what works, and what is next. This article points to the fact that while women have made many gains in the last decade, policies that successfully promote women's empowerment and gender equality are not institutionalized in the day-to-day routines of State, nor in international development agencies. The authors argue for changes which re-delineate who does what, what counts, who gets what, and who decides. They also outline key challenges and ways to envision change and strengthen the capacity of State and development organizations to deliver better on women's rights.

Topics: Feminisms, Gender, Women, Gender Mainstreaming, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, International Organizations, Rights, Women's Rights

Year: 2005

Gender and the Constitution: Equity and Agency in Comparative Constitutional Design

Citation:

Irving, Helen. 2008. Gender and the Constitution: Equity and Agency in Comparative Constitutional Design. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Author: Helen Irving

Abstract:

We live in an era of constitution-making. New constitutions are appearing in historically unprecedented numbers, following regime change in some countries, or a commitment to modernization in others. No democratic constitution today can fail to recognize or provide for gender equality. Constitution-makers need to understand the gendered character of all constitutions, and to recognize the differential impact on women of constitutional provisions, even where these appear gender-neutral. This book confronts what needs to be considered in writing a constitution when gender equity and agency are goals. It examines principles of constitutionalism, constitutional jurisprudence, and history. Its goal is to establish a framework for a "gender audit" of both new and existing constitutions. It eschews a simple focus on rights and examines constitutional language, interpretation, structures and distribution of power, rules of citizenship, processes of representation, and the constitutional recognition of international and customary law. It discusses equality rights and reproductive rights as distinct issues for constitutional design.

Topics: Democracy / Democratization, Gender, Women, Gender Equality/Inequality, Gender Equity, Governance, Constitutions, International Law, Rights, Women's Rights

Year: 2008

The International Women’s Movement and Women’s Political Representation, 1893–2003

Citation:

Paxton, Pamela, Melanie M. Hughes, and Jennifer L. Green. 2006. “The International Women’s Movement and Women’s Political Representation, 1893–2003.” American Sociological Review 71 (6): 898–920.

Authors: Pamela Paxton, Melanie M. Hughes, Jennifer L. Green

Abstract:

Women's political representation, once considered unacceptable by politicians and their publics, is now actively encouraged by powerful international actors. In this article, the authors ask how the growth and discourse of the international women's movement affected women's acquisition of political power over time. To answer this question, they use event history techniques to address women's political representation in more than 150 countries over 110 years (1893-2003). They consider multiple political outcomes: female suffrage, first female parliamentarian, and achievement of 10, 20, and 30 percent women in a country's national legislature. The findings show that increasing global pressure for the inclusion of women in international politics and the changing discourse of the international women's movement help to explain women's acquisition of these multiple political outcomes. Furthermore, by adding these concepts to traditional domestic models of women in politics, the authors demonstrate that country-level political, social structural, and cultural characteristics cause countries to act in conjunction with, or in opposition to, these global pressures. This is the first time that research on women in politics has considered such a comprehensive list of countries, time points, and outcomes.

Topics: Feminisms, Gender, Women, Gender Balance, Governance, International Organizations, NGOs, Political Participation, Rights, Women's Rights

Year: 2006

Cultural Obstacles to Equal Representation

Citation:

Norris, Pippa, and Ronald Inglehart. 2001. “Cultural Obstacles to Equal Representation.” Journal of Democracy 12 (3): 126–40.

Authors: Pippa Norris, Ronald Inglehart

Abstract:

A fundamental problem facing the worldwide process of democratization is the continued lack of gender equality in political leadership. The basic facts are not in dispute: Today women represent only one in seven parliamentarians, one in ten cabinet ministers, and, at the apex of power, one in 20 heads of state or government. Multiple factors have contributed to this situation, including structural and institutional barriers. But what is the influence of political culture? Are attitudes toward women as political leaders a significant barrier to their empowerment? In particular, how important is culture as compared with structural and institutional factors? These are the questions that our study seeks to address.

Topics: Democracy / Democratization, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance

Year: 2001

Demands for Electoral Gender Quotas in Afghanistan and Iraq

Citation:

Nordlund, Anja Taarup. 2004. “Demands for Electoral Gender Quotas in Afghanistan and Iraq.” Working Paper, Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm.

Author: Anja Taarup Nordlund

Topics: Gender, Governance, Quotas Regions: MENA, Asia, Middle East, South Asia Countries: Afghanistan, Iraq

Year: 2004

Envisioning a U.S. Government That Isn’t 84% Male: What the United States Can Learn from Sweden, Rwanda, Burundi, and Other Nations

Citation:

Millar, Nancy. 2007. “Envisioning a U.S. Government That Isn’t 84% Male: What the United States Can Learn from Sweden, Rwanda, Burundi, and Other Nations.” University of Miami Law Review 62 (1): 129–56.

Author: Nancy Millar

Topics: Gender, Governance, Constitutions, Quotas, Political Participation Regions: Americas, North America Countries: United States of America

Year: 2007

Primaries vs. Quotas: Gender and Candidate Nominations in Mexico, 2003

Citation:

Baldez, Lisa. 2007. “Primaries vs. Quotas: Gender and Candidate Nominations in Mexico, 2003.” Latin American Politics and Society 49 (3): 69-96.

Author: Lisa Baldez

Abstract:

Parties throughout Latin America have recently addressed two distinct kinds of electoral reforms: primary elections and national-level gender quota laws. This study examines how these reforms interact, their mutual compatibility, and their effect on the nomination of men compared to that of women. It develops a series of hypotheses about this relationship by analyzing the 2003 legislative elections in Mexico, a case in which the three main parties relied on both gender quotas and primaries to select their candidates. Although the percentage of women elected to the Mexican Chamber of Deputies rose, the Federal Electoral Institute interpreted the gender quota law in a way that weakened its effect on women and limited the degree of openness in the primaries that were held.

Topics: Gender, Women, Governance, Quotas, Elections, Political Participation Regions: Americas, North America Countries: Mexico

Year: 2007

Globalising ‘Gender’ in: Or as: Governance? Questioning the Terms of Local Translations

Citation:

Manicom, Linzi. 2001. “Globalising ‘Gender’ in: Or as: Governance? Questioning the Terms of Local Translations.” Agenda, no. 48, 6–21.

Author: Linzi Manicom

Abstract:

Manicom argues that a particular discourse of 'gender' has become normalised in the project of transforming governance in South Africa. She shares with other feminists a concern about the political implications and effects of institutionalising gender, about its apparent depoliticisation and the extent to which it has become a technocratic, disciplinary category.

Topics: Feminisms, Gender, Gendered Discourses, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Globalization, Governance, International Organizations, NGOs

Year: 2001

Integrating or Setting the Agenda? Gender Mainstreaming in the European Constitution-Making Process

Citation:

Lombardo, Emanuela. 2005. “Integrating or Setting the Agenda? Gender Mainstreaming in the European Constitution-Making Process.” Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State Society 12 (3): 412–32.

Author: Emanuela Lombardo

Abstract:

The European Union (EU) constitution-making process has adopted an "integrating" rather than an "agenda-setting" approach to gender mainstreaming. This argument draws on analysis of both the European Constitutional Convention and its product--the Constitutional Treaty. Five indicators of application of mainstreaming serve as reference points for exploring how it has been applied in the EU Constitutional Convention: a broader concept of gender equality, the incorporation of a gender perspective into the mainstream, equal representation of women, the prioritization of gender policy objectives, and a shift in institutional and organizational culture. The article provides a tentative explanation for the failure of the EU constitution-making process to adopt an "agenda-setting" approach to gender mainstreaming.

Topics: Gender, Gender Mainstreaming, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, Constitutions, International Organizations Regions: Europe

Year: 2005

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