Women’s Political Parties
Women’s political parties – political organizations established by women and composed exclusively or predominantly of women. They seek to expand women’s participation in the formation and functioning of public institutions, protect women’s political and other rights, advance gender equality and gender justice, and promote gender-parity democracy.
Women’s political parties often emerge in contexts where established political institutions disregard gender-related issues or address them slowly and superficially; where patriarchal traditions remain influential; and where systems of governance fail or refuse to incorporate egalitarian principles into political and social life.
Such parties have appeared at different historical periods and in various countries. They may seek to influence electoral processes, increase women’s political representation, place gender equality on the political agenda, and challenge the marginalization of women within mainstream political parties.
In Ukraine, several women-oriented political parties were registered beginning in 1997, including Women of Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Party “Women’s Initiatives,” Solidarity of Women of Ukraine, and the All-Ukrainian Political Association “Women for the Future.” Some subsequently ceased their activities. These parties represented attempts to influence political and electoral processes regarded as important to the advancement of gender equality (Melnyk, 2004, p. 251).
Reference:
Melnyk, T. M. (2004). Gender u politytsi [Gender in politics]. In Osnovy teorii genderu: Navchalnyi posibnyk [Foundations of gender theory: A textbook] (pp. 219–265). Kyiv: K.I.S. [in Ukrainian].
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