One Size Does Not Fit All - International IDEA

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL: LESSONS LEARNED FROM LEGISLATIVE GENDER COMMISSIONS AND CAUCUSESIt should also be noted that in some countries, women’s or gender commissions beganas caucuses or special commissions. In Mexico, the Gender and Equality Commissionwas a special commission during two legislatures, until 2000, when it was established asa standing commission. In Uruguay, one of the first initiatives of the Bicameral Women’sCaucus was to request the creation of a Special Gender and Equality Commission inthe House of Representatives. Because the caucus was not part of the legislature’sinstitutional structure, the creation of a commission that would allow formal access tolegislative processes and channels for interaction and control, within parliament andin the legislative branch and other government bodies, was considered necessary. aaaThis does not mean that caucuses always result in the establishment of a gendercommission. In Ecuador, the Specialized Permanent Commission on Women,Children, Youth and the Family was dissolved in July 2009 but a Parliamentary Groupfor Women’s Rights was subsequently created to promote a gender agenda. In somecases, a caucus is formed even though a standing commission already exists inparliament. A gender caucus and a gender commission are neither mutually exclusivenor contradictory; they are complementary and act in accordance with their respectivestrengths and limitations. AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATable 2 Comparison of commissions and caucuses, by countryCountry Type of Parliament Commission CaucusArgentinaBoliviaBrazilColombiaCosta RicaCubaChileBicameralBicameralBicameralBicameralUnicameralUnicameralBicameralChamber of Deputies: Commission on Family,Women, Children and AdolescentsSenate: Population and Human DevelopmentCommissionChamber of Deputies: Gender and GenerationalAffairs Committee iChamber of Deputies: Permanent Commission onSocial Security and Family iiSenate: Seventh Commission on the Public ServantStatute, Public Servant Wages and Benefits, TradeUnion Organizations, Social Security, Sports, Health,Housing, Women’s Issues and Family iiiChamber of Representatives: Seventh Commissionon the Public Servant Statute, Public Servant Wagesand Benefits, Trade Union Organizations, SocialSecurity, Sports, Health, Housing, Women’s Issuesand Family.Special Permanent Women’s Commission vCommission on Youth, Children and Equal Rights forWomen viChamber of Deputies: Family Commission viiWomen’s CaucusUnion of ParliamentaryWomen of Bolivia (Umpabol)Women’s CaucusAd hoc Commission onGender Equality, Social,Political and Labor Rights,Mental Health and Women’sSexual and ReproductiveHealth ivNoneNoneNone18