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INSTRAW considers that integrating a gender perspective into governance and the current decentralization processes is fundamental for obtaining an equitable and inclusive human sustainable development. At the same time, it is necessary to have a greater and transformative presence of women in decision-making positions along with a strong women’s and feminist movement that favour the recognition of women’s rights, their empowerment and the exercise of their full citizenship.
Women’s political participation: broadening spaces and strategies
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, president of Argentina
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At present, worldwide data on women’s representation in the processes and positions of power and decision making in the public sector, the private sector, and civil society demonstrates that, despite efforts, initiatives and operational strategies, resistance for the advance of the women in positions, professions, spaces and fields traditionally dominated by men still persists.
Public Sector: In April of 2005, the worldwide average of women in parliaments reached the highest level, with 15.9% representation in the Upper and Lower Chamber combined [2]. Nevertheless, this number is very far from the 30% considered as the minimum percentage necessary to ensure a 'critical mass' of women who can influence the decision making process and the priorities of politics. Women’s representation in positions of executive authority is even lower. At present, only 13 women occupy the position of Head of State in the world [4]. As for women who occupy ministerial positions, current attention is centered more on the type of portfolios that they lead more than on their numbers. , Although women continue to be concentrated in social area portfolios, their presence in areas considered to be more strategic and that were once exclusively masculine domains, is increasing. In November of 2003, twenty (20) women had been appointed ministers of foreign relations, nine (9) of defense and security, and nineteen (19) of finances.
In the local public sector, the presence of women in decision-making positions is higher than at national level. According to a survey conducted by United Cities and Local Governments in 2003 [7], women occupied 9% of the positions of mayor in 60 countries of the world and 20.9% of the positions on town councils in 67 countries.
There have also been advances in women’s representation in decision-making positions in the judicial system. Nevertheless, women continue to be concentrated as judges and encounter difficulties in ascending to the highest instances of judicial power, such as Supreme Courts or Constitutional Courts. At the international level, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is recognized as a model institution that has established mechanisms and procedures to favour balanced representation of men and women [8]. Thus, by mid 2005, seven (7) of the eighteen (18) judges of the ICC were women[9]. Nevertheless, a great under-representation of women still persists within the international justice organizations. At the moment, there is only one (1) woman among the fifteen (15) judges members of the International Court of Justice [10].
Private Sector [11] and Civil society [12]: In these sectors of political action, women’s low representation in decision-making positions also is confirmed by the numbers which also occur in the State’s public sector. Although in general the data on women in decision-making positions in both sectors is scarce and in many cases confusing, in general, it indicates that women are present as a majority or with considerable representation in many spaces (Non-governmental Organizations, political parties, community groups, companies of the services sector, communication media, etc.), but occupy the lowest positions and are alarmingly absent from higher level positions. In 2001, a study of the International Federation of Journalists [13] demonstrated women’s under-representation in decision-making positions in communication mass media, emphasizing that although women represent more than one-third of journalists on active-duty worldwide, the percentage of women editors, chiefs of departments or media owners does not even reach 1% [14].
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