Review article

WOMEN IN PARLIAMENTS – GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Marjeta Šinko orcid.org/0000-0003-1422-4788 ; HR-10000 Zagreb, Nova cesta 137B, Croatia

Abstract

Although the representation of women in national parliaments has been on the increase since World War Two, the number of women in assemblies has yet to reach 20 percent. The parliaments in which women participate with 30 or 40 percent are most viewed as laudable exceptions rather than (as yet) the unattained objective. The reasons lie in the specific gender obstacles i.e. political, socio-economic and socio-cultural factors affecting the entry of women into parliaments. This paper deals with these factors and the consequences of a stronger female representation for the political system and the society on the whole. The author concludes that besides satisfying the ideal of justice the increased share of women in national parliaments may improve the position of women in the society and also strengthen the trust of both women and men in representative institutions.

Keywords

obstacles to political participation; arguments for higher representation; dimensions of representation; Hanna Pitkin; critical minority/critical mass

Hrčak ID:

20643

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/20643

Publication date:

16.7.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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