The Greatest Gender Inequality is in Politics

docx

School

Johns Hopkins University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

AS.470.695

Subject

Political Science

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by AdmiralThunderMandrill45

The Greatest Gender Inequality is in Politics (Facts) According to the World Economic Forum's 2021 Global Gender Gap report , more than 135 years will be needed for countries to close the gender gap, an increase of more than 35 years from the WEF's newest report. There are four sectors being measured – political empowerment, economic participation, education and health – the greatest disparities are seen among political empowerment, a measure of gender parity within politics which takes into account political representation from the parliamentary level to heads of state, a gap that will take 10 years longer to close. According to a study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union , a correlation exists between a country's electoral system and high levels of female political representation. In Western European countries where 20% or more of the seats in parliament were held by women, all had a proportional electoral system, where "political groups receive seats in proportion to their electoral strength," according to the study. Worldwide, the study found that of all the countries with women making up 30% or more of parliament, none operated under a majoritarian system. But electoral systems are only part of the picture when it comes to bolstering women's participation in government. According to the IPU , countries with well-designed gender quotas, varying measures designed to ensure that women constitute a certain portion of political positions, elect significantly more women to parliament. The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Norway – which all operate under either a proportional or mixed electoral system – use some form of voluntary quotas set by political parties, or other forms of affirmative action. In Sweden, for example, a "zipper system" is employed by a number of political parties, requiring that candidate lists alternate between male and female candidates, which ensures that for every three candidates one woman must be included.

Discover more documents: Sign up today!

Unlock a world of knowledge! Explore tailored content for a richer learning experience. Here's what you'll get: