Importance of women's political empowerement - Gurmai Zita

Importance of women's political empowerment
remain as individual cases. In order to overcome the gendered outcome of political processes,
the severe under-representation of women in office at any level, it is therefore necessary to
tackle the issue at several levels.
Various types of affirmative action, such as the imposition of hard gender quotas for the election
of multiple offices (either at candidacy or at election level) and the avoidance of electing officials
individually, at least ensure a more level outcome, though they mostly mask the gendered
nature of processes rather than actually tackling it. This “masking effect” becomes especially
problematic if “temporary” affirmative action is phased out when it appears to have achieved its
objective: evidence suggests the original gender inequalities tend to reappear immediately.
Thus, the organisers of political processes should also directly attempt to avoid the immediate
gendered trappings of the traditional process. Formal speeches can be replaced with one-toone
interviews in front of an audience; “speed-dating” methods can be used in order to avoid
large crowds and uncontrolled small talk, sound systems can be avoided altogether by meeting
in smaller rooms.
It can be done.
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