The Impact of Women’s Political Leadership on Democracy and Development Case Studies from the Commonwealth

by Chowdhury, Farah Deeba; Wilson, Margaret; Morna, Colleen Lowe; Magarangom, Mukayi Makaya

• ISBN13: 9781849291095
• ISBN10: 1849291098
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-12-06
• Publisher: Commonwealth Secretariat

Summary

Women’s minimal leadership role in national and local political spheres remains a serious concern worldwide. The Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005–2015 calls on governments to introduce measures to promote at least 30 per cent representation of women in parliament, government and business.The Impact of Women’s Political Leadership on Democracy and Development describes the barriers to women’s political participation and explains why the contribution of women is so crucial to democracy. It identifies established strategies – electoral reform (New Zealand), party voluntary quotas (South Africa), and legislative quotas (Bangladesh and India) – that have helped these Commonwealth countries to meet the global target of 30 per cent and thus to effectively advance the participation of women in decision-making at all levels.

Author Biography

Farah Deeba Chowdhury is Associate Professor (on leave) of Political Science at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. She specialises in the areas of women and Islam, women and politics, women and work, and women in law and society. She recently completed her PhD at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. She is Adjunct Faculty lecturer at the Department of Gender Studies, Queen’s University, Canada.Margaret Wilson served as the first woman Speaker at the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2005–2008, and was the first woman Law Dean and Professor of Law in New Zealand. She is currently a Professor of Law and Public Policy at University of Waikato.Colleen Lowe Morna is the Founder and Executive Director of Gender Links in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was the Advisor on gender and institutional development for the Commonwealth special assistance programme to South Africa from 1994–1999. She subsequently served as the founding CEO of the South African Commission on Gender Equality.Mukayi Makaya Magarangoma is GL Services Manager. She formerly worked at the Southern Africa Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC).