Background Document - Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy

adolescent girls envisioned themselves as being more politically active as adults and
more skilled about politics than the boys, research shows that young women tend to
silence their engagement and knowledge in politics.
The perception that politics is a man’s world can be mitigated however if there is
the presence of female role models. Role models outside and inside the family circle
increase the likelihood of political activity. Additionally, if one parent is involved in a
political party, it is more likely that the offspring will also be. And, last but not least,
having a mother actively politically involved has a particular impact on their daughters’
political involvement.
Researchers of young women’s political involvement emphasise the mother role
model effect and say that it is not confined to the elite level. The internal functioning
and culture of political parties would also be another constraint to women’s commitment.
Internal functioning, such as the way meetings are organised, the decision-making
process, the formality of the decision-making process, the formality of
speaking in front of other members, deter young women’s full engagement in politics.
INCREASING YOUNG PEOPLE’S POLITICAL INTERESTS:
THE CASE OF NEW ZEALAND 10
In research undertaken on how to reach out to young people, the advice is as follows:
Keep it simple, keep it positive, keep it relevant, keep it real, leave the script at home,
hold onto your values and ask young people to participate.
In the face of an overall decline of young people’s political engagement and interest,
and the overall perception as being powerless to promote their particular interests,
the Auckland City Youth Council initiative is very interesting.
Created in 1984, the Auckland City Youth Council ‘enables young people to learn
about their community, their city and their local government’. It was made up of
up to 25 young people, aged between 12 and 24 years, whose role was to advocate
on behalf of young people. It was an advisory board. Youth council members were
self-nominating and were accepted provided they attended the induction. As New
Zealand overall and Auckland in particular are characterised by a young population
which is diverse in culture, identity and experiences. Despite principles at the heart
of a youth council promoting youth participation which needed to be meaningful,
connected to wider decision-making and occurring in ways that young people have
control over’, the first stage of the youth council showed that having a youth council
did not guarantee youth participation, voice and power in decision-making processes.
After 15 years of existence, the youth council achievement was a source of disappointment.
There was an overall perception that high achieving young people were
overrepresented on the youth council. Additionally, the formal structure of the committee
meetings, such as speaking through a microphone, making formal resolutions
and requesting to speak through the chairperson, seems to deter young people
from voicing their issues or engaging in robust discussion and debate.
Following a thorough review and structural changes, in 2010, a new structure
had achieved a better representation of its local communities. Not only were issues
debated in a better environment within the council but also with young people outside
the council. The youth council had also increased its capacity to run effective
projects, such as implementing a regional youth council.
The success of the Auckland Youth Council in 2010 is due to the quality of the relationships
that have been built between the council, the community and the wider
10 Finlay, 2010, 53-59
WOMEN IN POLITICS DANISH INSTITUTE FOR PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY PAGE 14