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TOP
OF THE SHELF
Designing for Equality: Best Fit, Medium Fit and Non-Favourable
Combinations of Electoral Systems and Gende Quotas, IDEA (2007)
Today, the average
proportion of women members of parliaments stands at a mere 17.2 per
cent. Only 19 countries in the world have achieved the goal of 30+
per cent women’s representation in national legislatures, a goal
which was adopted by the Beijing Process in 1995. There are two
important variables that affect women’s political representation:
the electoral system and the use of quotas for women. Combined in
different ways, these variables have different results on women’s
participation. Download the paper
here.
Gender Mentoring: A Guide for Strengthening Equality in Communities
(2006)
This guide aims to strengthen equality in communities by giving
guidance for gender mentoring. It examines the nature of gender and
gender equality and analyses power relations within the society. It
examines what is needed for gender monitoring and distinguishes
between seven (7) steps: securing leadership commitment, conducting
a gender audit, gender policy formulation, gender analysis tools,
mainstreaming gender in organization, gender sensitive indicators
and identification of obstacles and constraints. Download the manual
here.
Report: Third
International Conference, Women and Politics in Asia (2005)
The Third (3rd)
International Conference on Women and Politics in Asia was held in
Islamabad, Pakistan on 25th November 2005. The sub-themes discussed
during the two-day conference were: politics of personalities and
dynasties, ethnicity, religious discourse, conflicts and
international covenants, women and politics in Pakistan, quotas in
electoral processes, decentralization and media and push and pull in
politics. Download the report
here
Promoting
Partnership Between Men and Women in Parliament: The Experience of
the Inter Parliamentary Union (2005)
This case study, an excerpt from Women in Parliament: Beyond
Numbers, provides an overview of the experiences of the Inter
Parliamentary Union (IPU) in the field of women's parliamentary
activities. It focuses on the Programme of Partnership between men
and women and emphasizes that cooperation between men and women is
essential in accomplishing change and affecting politics. Download
the paper here.
Enhancing the Role
of Women: UNDP Yemen Electoral Support Programme (2004)
The presentation
focuses on the efforts of UNDP Yemen Electoral Support Programme to
enhance women's political participation in Yemen. It outlines the
programme's strategic areas of support, with a particular focus on
voter education. This was presented at the Global Practice Meeting
on Electoral Systems and Processes in Manila, Philippines, October
of 2004. Download the document
here.
Women and Politics in Japan by Aya Ezawa (2003)
The unit on "Women and
Politics" in Japan aims to show the empirical and theoretical
relevance of the study of Japanese society to course in the social
sciences. In focusing on the political activities and careers of
women and housewives in Japan, the unit explores a topic central to
the study of democracy, women's rights and gender inequality in
contemporary societies. More importantly, this paper discusses the
role of the housewife as a public and potentially political role and
thus offer an opportunity to explore alternative conceptualizations
of women's citizenship, the public/private divide, the scope of
formal and informal politics and the role of the housewife. In
integrating theoretical concerns with empirical case studies, the
paper intends to go beyond comparisons that emphasize cultural
differences and instead illuminate the theoretical challenges posed
by international comparison. Download the paper
here.
Women in Politics: Reflections from Malaysia (2002)
This is an English translation of Wan Azizah's case study called "Perempuan
di Parlemen: Bukan Sekedar Jumlah. Numerous challenges confront
women entering politics and among them are lack of party support,
family support and the "masculine model" of political life. Many
feel that the Malaysian society is still male dominated and that men
are threatened by the idea of women holding senior posts. In
the political sphere, this is compounded by the high premium placed
on political power. This makes some men even less willing to share
power with women. Based on the Malaysian experience, this case study
will explore some of the obstacles that hinder the participation of
women in parliament and propose strategies that may be used to
overcome them. Download
the PDF
Document.
Women
in China (2000)
Chinese women participate equally in the decision-making process,
and the number of female officials in leading bodies at various
levels has been growing gradually. There were 650 women deputies
to the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) in 1998, which amounts
to 21.8% of the total number of deputies. There were 341 women deputies
to the Ninth Chinese People's Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which
amounts to 15.54% of the total number of deputies. The percentage
increased by 0.78% and 2.02% over those to the Eighth NPC and the
Eighth CPPCC respectively. Currently, there are four female state
leaders, two female ministers and 16 female vice ministers among
the 29 ministries of China. Download
this PDF
document.
Orientations
of women public administrators of Orissa, India (2002)
Late eighty's and early ninety's of last century determined the
entry of women into fields of administration with international
awakenings of women from Fourth International Conference of Women,
Beijing and Reservation for Women in Grassroots Governments of Panchayati
Raj Institutions and Municipal Institutions of India. Orissa administration
issued an order of reservation for women in Orissa Administrative
Services and in admissions into the Engineering Colleges of Orissa
in 1992. This has ushered a situation of entry of women into administration.
Download this PDF
document.
Does
Size Matter? Critical Mass and Women MPs in the New Zealand House
of Representatives (2001)
It is often claimed that women will only impact upon political decisions
once they achieve a critical mass within legislative bodies. This
paper outlines the expectations in existing critical mass literature
and tests these using the New Zealand House of Representatives as
a case study. What the New Zealand case highlighted was the number
of complexities that are ignored in critical mass literature and
the likelihood that different critical masses are necessary dependent
on the outcome sought. Download this PDF
document.nz_wip.pdf
Strengthening
democracy through women's political participation (2000)
We are seeing women who are emerging as builders of democracy. Women
who are registering to vote and who are making their vote count.
Women who are coming to the forefront in countries that do not have
a democratic tradition but are working in that direction. Conditions
for promoting democracy may not be all that comfortable, but women’s
groups are finding that they can become a force for democratic change.
Many times, because they are women’s groups, they can begin by operating
under the radar so to speak, without drawing much attention from
hostile authorities. After a while, their numbers grow and their
influence is clearly seen and heard. Download the document
in Acrobat PDF format.
The
rise of women leaders in the Philippines (2001)
Two women have risen to the presidency
in the Philippines in the last fifteen years. Corazon Aquino, the
first female to ascend to the presidency in the country's history,
was elected after the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos amidst charges
of criminal wrongdoing. Fifteen years later, Vice President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo succeeded Joseph Estrada, who had been accused
of corruption and plundering the Philippine economy. Not only is
it rare for a woman to be elected president, but it is also least
expected in countries like the Philippines that have a long history
of patriarchy, oligarchy, and subordination of women. Download the
document
in Acrobat PDF format.
Women
in
local governments in Asia and the Pacific: A comparative analysis
of thirteen countries (2001)
This report, which is prepared for the Asia Pacific Summit of Women
Mayors and Councillors, highlights barriers to women's involvement;
inititiatives that increased women's participation; the transformative
leadership that women provide; and regional and country-level strategies
for increasing women's involvement. Download the document
in Acrobat PDF format.
Young
Women Leaders: A Real Trend or Utopia (2000)
In Malaysia, the role of women is so important because they represent
more than 50 per cent of voters. Although this figure is not necessarily
indicative of women’s participation in politics, it is important
to note that most of the campaigners for the ruling National Front
consists of women, popularly known as Wanita UMNO. But most of these
WANITA UMNO now have to face the challenge from WANITA KEADILAN
and the rest of the Alternative Front, which consists of the main
opposition parties. Download the document
in Acrobat PDF format.
Women,
Bureaucracy and the Governance of Poverty in Southeast Asia: Integrating
Gender and Participatory Governance in Poverty Reduction programs
in the Philippines and Vietnam (1999)
The relationship between gender planning, good governance, and poverty
reduction efforts in Southeast Asian states is explored in this
study, using Vietnam and the Philippines as case studies for the
period 1986 to 1998. Download the document
in Acrobat PDF format.
Special
from the UNESCAP website:
Country
reports on the state of women in urban local governments in Asia
and the Pacific
To download each report, click on the desired country.
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