Background Document - Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy

enforcing these norms in ways that affect their self-confidence, limiting their access
to information and skills and reinforcing their lower status. The following section
deals with this.
BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN LOCAL POLITICS
Some of the institutional and structural barriers to women’s participation in local
politics can be identified as follows:
´ Entrenched sexual division of labour within the households and outside: While in many
parts of the world such as South Asia women do enjoy constitutional rights their actual
roles are still closely tied to their reproductive and household functions. This makes
it difficult for them to find time for politics. Closely tied to these sexual divisions of
labour are associated cultural and traditional norms that entrench these even further.
´ Low indices on the human development index for women: Demographic statistics in
South Asia and Africa for instance indicate low literacy rates, poor health and poverty
particularly for women that points to a lack of basic rights to education, health care,
safety and employment opportunities.
´ Discrimination: Women often face discrimination in practice when standing for office
to local government positions even if laws are in their favour. Attitudes that put policies
and decision making into the male preserve see women as incapable of management
and governance roles.
´ Institutional cultures within political institutions at all levels including local ones are
not favourable to women as they often have styles and modes of working that are
unacceptable to them. The male dominated environment within the institution can
limit the extent to which women can bring forward issues relevant for women and ones
related to social justice. Some also find that society and colleagues have unrealistic
standards and expectations for them.
´ The culture: Women are not prepared to be involved in political environments which
support an aggressive culture, combative debate and personality conflicts as well as
male; colleagues who have difficulty coping with women and so belittle and personally
attack them. The increasing corruption in politics is another disincentive.
´ Campaign expenses can be prohibitive for women who are also active in the unpaid
care economy and earn less than men in the labour market. Once elected they have to
superimpose their new duties on their already existing ones in the home – the lack of
child care support and timings of the meetings have also been a problem.
´ The provision of quotas for women in local government has not necessarily created a
culture open to facilitating the participation of women though it may have facilitated
their initial entry into the system. In some cases reserved seats are decided through
indirect elections and women have little autonomy. Sometimes women are nominated
rather than elected from reserved seats – this creates a system of patronage that can
prevent them assuming independent positions of leadership. Even when they are elected
from reserved seats and not nominated the reserved seats are seen as having an
inferior status. Considerable training and support is needed to assist women to learn
the way the political environment works and fulfil their roles.
´ Dependence on support through kinship and family: For women without family connections
barriers to participation remain and even when they enter the system the pres-
WOMEN IN POLITICS DANISH INSTITUTE FOR PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY PAGE 29