Importance of women's political empowerement - Gurmai Zita

Christa Randzio-Plath
Women in politics
Importance of women's political empowerment
Women empowerment is an invention of the last century. So the 20th century brought the
benefits of women`s political emancipation and legal rights in public and civil law. This progress
was due to the first women`s movements. The first collective declarations in favour of women’s
political rights with the French revolution had no positive reaction. Olympe de Gouges who
published a Declaration of the Rights of Women (1791) lost her life. British Suffragettes and
continental women movements stressed the right to vote as an expression of equality in
citizenship. The first German women`s movement before the 1st World War even believed in
the fact that once the political rights were given to women equality between men and women
would be easily achieved. But despite a high participation rate of women in the votes for
parliaments the political representation of women has been weak even after the 2nd World War
and none where in Europe exceeded the 10%- rate.
In the Western democracies the female presence in politics remained low. Only the students`
revolution, the sexual revolution, the peace movement and the very low political participation
and interest of women in political parties made especially European political parties reflect on
increasing the political participation of women in order to gain electorate and thus political
power. The objective of former decades: every second seat in parliament and government
should go to a woman. Europe is far from fulfilling this. Nevertheless the gender equality in
politics was much more successful than the gender equality in the economy. The quota
regulations of political parties changed the political landscape in Europe but economic power
remained with men.
The women`s organizations in contrast to the feminist autonomous movements and the
women`s organizations within the political parties were the frontrunners for a higher political
representation of women and more political power for women. Their ambition: to increase
political participation, democratic legitimacy by ending discrimination against women and to
change not only numbers of seats in the hand of women but also the quality of political
decision-making. Change has been a key word in the debate about more women having
access to politicaldecision-making. Equality of women in politics became not only a question of
non-discrimination but also of changing decision- making to the better. Women becoming more
and more qualified in education, studies and professional life should become deputies and
ministers, mayors and political stake holders in general.
Nevertheless it has to be underlined that the 20th century brought women political emancipation
and improved legal rights in a lot of strands of concern like family and heritage law, social rights
and more autonomy. The 21st century now has to deliver and to make women part of all
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