Benin report - Institut Africain de la Gouvernance

CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE__________________________________________________________________________third (33%) of representatives on decision-making bodies. This figure,however, cannot be reached as political parties do not offer enough candidates.This situation was highlighted by interested parties and participants at thedifferent meetings of the CRM, especially by those who were present at theForum on Women in Cotonou. They called for the adoption of a law onquotas, which would be applied temporarily and abolished once the desiredquotas had been reached. Besides a law on quotas – which the CRM regards asbeing very important for addressing the imbalance between men and women inpolitics – there are also economic, social and cultural obstacles that must beremoved.Box 3.9: Reasons for the low representation of women on principal decision-makingbodiesThe documentary review and the persons interviewed by CRM experts have helped to identifythe causes of the low representation of women on the principal decision-making bodies.These factors include: the influence of tradition (a woman cannot be a chief), the resistanceand distrust of men about the involvement of their spouses in politics, and violence againstwomen. There are other obstacles such as: illiteracy, which is widespread among women; thelow percentage of girls in schools (see the chapter on socioeconomic governance); theirheavy workloads, and unequal distributions of paid and unpaid work between men andwomen; the lack of structures, like childcare centres, to take care of them from childhood; andthe absence of the means and systems that ease domestic duties. Moreover, women seemunwilling to fight for their participation in the political administration of the country. They alsolack confidence in themselves and lack leadership training in certain regions of the country. Inaddition to these factors, “the conduct of political life nowadays requires substantialresources, which women in general do not have. Out of 121 political parties registered in2002 in Benin, only two parties were led by a woman. More than 60% of members of TheRenaissance Party of Benin led by a woman are women. Paradoxically, its NationalManagement Committee has only 8 women out of a total of 30 members” 15 .286. Violence against women also causes concern. This phenomenon has beenraised by stakeholders and by studies and research done on the issue. Thereport by Benin on the Development Index and Gender Inequalities in Africa(IDISA), developed by the ECA, reveals that Beninese women are subjected tonumerous acts of violence, both within the family and in society in general.The reasons given to justify this violence vary. They link to basic education inthe context of the family. The only duties women have are to be quiet,devoted, docile, submissive, and ready to carry out the wishes and decisions ofmen. Financial autonomy is another issue. Poverty affects women mainly andmakes them financially dependent on men. With regard to domestic violence,women who fear to be separated from their children prefer to remain andsuffer the violence. This violence, which is an infringement of the rights ofwomen, also has serious physical and psychological consequences. It is alsonot dealt with appropriately by the government. In fact, despite the adoption ofcertain measures – such as the International Day for the Elimination ofViolence against Women, which is celebrated on 1 December in Benin; thecreation of a favourable framework for the development of structures to15 WiLDAF-Benin. May 2005. Benin and the UN Convention of November 1979 on the Elimination ofAll Forms of Discrimination against Women. Cotonou.115