Gender Democracy

Gender democracy – a system of political will-formation and expression by both sexes, women and men, in civil society as equal in rights and opportunities. This equality is legally established and practically ensured through political and legal principles and actions, as well as through the development of public and state institutions.

Gender democracy affirms the equal social value of women and men, that is, the principle of gender parity, which includes equal rights, duties, and responsibilities of representatives of both sexes toward society and toward one another.

Gender democracy is a principle that ensures women, on equal terms with men, the right:

  1. To vote in all elections and public referenda and to be eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies;

  2. To participate in the formulation and implementation of government policy, to hold public office, and to perform all public functions at all levels of government;

  3. To participate in the activities of non-governmental organizations and associations concerned with the public and political life of the country (United Nations, 1979).

Women have always been an essential part of democratic society. Democracy requires that the interests of citizens be heard, discussed, and legally secured. Women make up half of the world’s population; therefore, their voices must be heard in the democratic process. A democratic state needs women in order to be truly democratic, and women need democracy in order to change the rules and laws that prevent them, and society as a whole, from achieving equality.

Only through democratic representation can women’s interests be represented and their voices heard.

Four key methods for women’s effective participation in political life may be identified:

  1. Making local and national elections free and fair for women;

  2. Supporting women’s civil society organizations in order to ensure that women’s interests are represented;
  3. Increasing accountability for the protection and realization of women’s rights in state institutions;

  4. Supporting women political leaders in order to expand their influence (United Nations, n.d.).

References:

United Nations. (1979). Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/ru/documents/decl_conv/conventions/cedaw.shtml

United Nations. (n.d.). Democracy and women. In Global issues on the UN agenda. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/ru/sections/issues-depth/democracy/index.html#DWO

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