INCREASING WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN GEORGIA

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INCREASING WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN GEORGIA

Journal Title: Идеология и политика (рус) / Ідеологія і політика (укр) / Ideology and Politics (Eng) - Year 2018, Vol 10, Issue 2

Abstract

The imbalance of representation of men and women in Georgian politics diminishes the problems affecting women in society, making them less prominent and more difficult for the authorities to address. Women account for more than a half of Georgia’s population, while the overall number of women involved in politics in Georgia has little increased at legislative elections, going from 7% of MPs in 2008 to 16% presently. However, it has yet to reach the standard the UN recognizes: 30% minimum, there has been progress, but at the international level, Georgia has regressed. In the process of democratic state-building of Georgia partnership between women and men in the social and political decisions is extremely important. The political process and their participation in policy formation are fundamental characteristic of the subject, and its lack of social vulnerability of the primary product. Although the role of women in public life in Georgia recently increased significantly, unfortunately participation of women in politics still remains low. The reason is much more complex than it seems at first glance. Women’s role in politics is hindered by the political, social, cultural and psychological reasons: the country's political culture, popular stereotypes, less access to financial resources, lack of coverage by media of women’s public and political activities, non-existing women's consolidation in women's movement hinders the formation women’s movements. Political, institutional and economic issues limit women’s engagement in decision-making process and political life more generally. For example, changing gender roles have affected how men and women deal with new realities, relating to burdens and opportunities for participation of both genders. A political division within society also creates barriers, in addition to a lack of consistent political will, institutional capacity, and coordination among key stakeholders. When it comes to women's political participation, first of all we should be viewed and perceived as the representative bodies of women in the recruitment process, also country's electoral system needs to be changed so that it could increase women's representation. Georgia's political parties are dominated by men, and they are characterized by a low level of internal democracy, the party of the mechanisms of promotion are often vague, which makes it advancement of women in the party even more challenging. The contemporary world has long agreed that women’s participation in politics is one of the most important preconditions for democratic development of any Country. Without participation of women, it will be impossible to develop equal and fair policies tailored to interests of all groups. It is very difficult to achieve women’s equal political participation by allowing equal representation to run its natural course. Therefore, to accelerate the process and eliminate the inequality created over the centuries, it is necessary to intervene at the legislative level. Georgia has ranked among the countries with the lowest female representation in decision- making and senior positions for more than two decades. The voluntary financial incentives for political parties that were introduced in 2011 in order to generate an increase of women candidates in election party lists have proven ineffective, as none of the dominant political parties has ever used it and it did not affect the number of women in politics. One of the most effective ways to increase women’s political participation is a temporary special measure known as a gender quota. If aligned correctly with the electoral system, gender quota can be very effective for fast-tracking women’s participation in politics. Currently, Georgian society’s demand for the greater involvement of women in politics is high: 70% of the population thinks the number of women in Parliament should be at least 30%. Given the failure of financial incentives, both local civil society and international organizations recommend mandatory party quotas to promote gender equality in politics. These policies must be designed to reach a critical mass of women in politics (at least 30%) to allow women the opportunity to have an impact on the decision-making process. Gender quota is not the only way to eliminate the inequality; it is a mechanism that ensures women’s representation in elected bodies in a few period of time. However, in addition to gender quota it is also important to widen women’s movements, continue submission of recommendations about women’s issues on the State Level and most importantly, conduct a large educational campaign for raising public awareness, in order to create a public demand to ensure gender equality in Georgia.

Authors and Affiliations

Eka Darbaidze

Keywords

EP ID EP630335
DOI -
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