One Size Does Not Fit All - International IDEA

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ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL: LESSONS LEARNED FROM LEGISLATIVE GENDER COMMISSIONS AND CAUCUSESIn Mexico, when the 2009 budget wasbeing debated, women legislators onthe Gender and Equity Commissioncontacted and formed an alliance withwomen members of the FinanceCommission to channel proposals forallocating resources to programmesfor women.In recent years, the EqualityCommission of Spain’s Chambers ofDeputies has won approval for theEquality Law and the Integral Lawagainst Gender Violence, as well as aprovision that, as of 2008, all approvedlegislation, including the budget, mustinclude a gender impact reportprepared by the executive branch.These gains were due not only to theincreased number of women in thelegislature, but also to the political willof male and female legislatorsinterested in gender issues andequality, which led other groups inparliament to support initiativespromoted by the Equality Commission.Use the international normative and legalframework to promote the creation of nationalstructures to help obtain commitmentson gender equality. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAEstablish alliances with ombudspeople.Ombudsperson offices can offer legislativeadvice because many have units specializingin women’s rights. In most countries, theseoffices present annual or thematic reports,which provide input for development oflegislation. AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAACoordination with universities and humanrights groups. Although these organizationshave not always mainstreamed gender in theirwork, in the area of human rights they can helpto position women’s issues not as secondarymatters but as crucial structural issues forsociety. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIn Bolivia, thanks to the efforts of the Chamber of Deputies’ Gender and Generational Affairs Committee, thelegislative agenda is developed in parliament in coordination with civil society and the chamber’s HumanRights Commission. Because this agenda included laws that are priorities for women, work was also done atthe national level to disseminate information and create opportunities for discussion and consensus building.This chapter demonstrates that women in legislatures face multiple challenges. We haveexamined some of the most common with insights on how they have been addressed.The conclusions explore these experiences more fully, indicating points to considerwhen working in commissions and caucuses. AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaABest Practices: Ideas For Gender Work Across Party Lines31
ConclusionsThe experiences described above demonstrate that women’s collective efforts in thelegislature are crucial not only because of their impact on public policies that effectivelyrespond to citizens’ demands and interests, but also because of their effect on theconsolidation and progress of women’s leadership. Nonetheless, cross-party work withinthe legislative branch faces many challenges: building consensus while maintainingequilibrium between commitment to gender issues and party visions; keeping genderissues on the public agenda; and creating a sustainable critical mass of women legislatorscommitted to advancing a gender equality agenda. aaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWhile models must tailored to the national context, the following general considerationsshould be kept in mind: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaA1.2.3.4.Reaching agreement on a minimum set of basic points included in internationalconventions can be a useful starting point. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWhen placing issues on the agenda, it is crucial to have hard data, so the proposalsare not seen simply as the opinions of a group of women who see themselves as“victims”, but as the views of political stakeholders who bring issues of interest tocitizens – in this case, women’s issues, which must no longer be marginalized – tothe public agenda. aAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAIt is much more effective to build alliances and have support from male politiciansor men from other fields. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIn a winning formula, the women’s caucus is not simply a forum for coordinationand alliances within the legislature, but develops relationships with other womenin public office as well as territorial and sub-regional organizations to channel theirdemands and proposals. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaAA5.Legislators’ day-to-day work tends to be exhausting and takes up all of their time andthat of their teams. It is therefore helpful to find a person or team that can workpermanently on caucus affairs, preparing technical input, so that legislators candebate them and place them on the political agenda. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA32
Page 5: One Size Does Not Fit All: Lessons
Page 12 and 13: Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledge
Page 14 and 15: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL: LESSONS
Page 16 and 17: Chapter 1WOMEN WORKING TOGETHER IN
Page 28 and 29: Chapter 2BEST PRACTICES:IDEAS FOR G
Page 38 and 39: Notes123456910111213141516171819202
Page 40 and 41: AppendixBibliographic sources for c
Page 42 and 43: National Democratic Institute for I
Page 44 and 45: International IDEAWhat is Internati
Page 46: Women make up 50 per cent of the wo

One Size Does Not Fit All - International IDEA

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