Ministers speech on behalf of the Czech Presidency at Brussels EP Commitee for Women´s Rights and Gender Equality meeting

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to use this opportunity to dwell briefly on an issue that, in view of the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament, is very topical.

We will soon be celebrating International Women's Day. As you all know, the original idea of this day was to win the right to vote for women. The path leading to equal franchise between women and men was full of pitfalls. Women really did win the right to vote, but what are their chances of being elected?

Despite the formal existence of equal political rights for women and men, politics and public policy-making remains a primarily male domain. Men determine policy priorities and political culture remains largely focused on men. A number of barriers make it difficult for women to enter the realm of policy-making and public decisions.

The main obstacles in the promotion of gender equality are prejudices and conservative views on the role of women and men in society. In some quarters, there is still the attitude that a woman belongs in the kitchen, rears children, and makes the family home, while the man’s job is to earn money to feed the family. In addition, there are barriers that still hamper entry into politics and that are apparent in the work of political parties. Moreover, women’s hands are tied by a double burden (working while caring for the household).

The institutional barriers to the entry of women into politics include the permeability of the electoral system and the method used to select male and female candidates within political parties. Elections to most representative bodies take place on the basis of political parties’ electoral lists, thus narrowing voters’ choice of candidates in advance. The selection of the persons who are to feature on electoral lists, a process which takes place within political parties, is the most important instrument in influencing the proportion of women in politics.

Women make up 51% of the population of the European Union. This fact, however, is not reflected in the representation of women in governments, parliaments, business, or institutions issuing important decisions. Women are not adequately represented in elected positions. For the sake of illustration, I will cite some statistics:

• the European Parliament is 31% women,

• 37% of the European Commission’s Commissioners are women,

• on average, 24% of the national parliaments of EU Member States are women.

Until women attain equality in decision-making, they will lack certain civil rights. EU Member States have committed themselves to gender equality at national, European and global level on many occasions. I am thinking in particular of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Women are interested in politics. Any argument that this is not so fails to take into account not only their widespread involvement in local and regional government and in NGOs, but also the high level of education they attain. This is further evidenced by their achievements in local and regional politics, where, in their village, town or region, they influence present and future events which have a major effect on everyday life.

The situation of women in senior politics, especially at parliamentary level, is improving, albeit very slowly. Informal internal mechanisms introduced by political parties for the selection of candidates and for the compilation of electoral lists are regarded as the most effective gender equality strategy. This strategy offsets the barriers that women face when they enter politics and when electoral lists are drawn up. Increasing the number of women in politics is desirable not only in terms of equality of representation, but also in terms of enriching politics with women’s experiences and approaches, as this provides a view from another angle. This is one of the steps paving the way for women to engage in politics, where they can put their skills and experience to good use and help shape public life. The balanced representation of women in electoral lists is not inconsistent with the free choice of candidates. The compilation of electoral lists is a matter for political parties. This determines who will have a chance of being elected.

I am aware that the issue of quotas is the subject of lively debate and has both many opponents and many supporters. I am convinced that, without the temporary introduction of the balanced representation of women in electoral lists as a provisional measure intended to achieve the increased representation of women in policy-making, the low proportion of women in politics will last for decades to come.

However, it is not possible to address the problem of the low representation of women simply by implementing quotas. Political parties, the education system, NGOs, trade unions and other players must assume their share of responsibility and promote the participation of women within their organizations. This is a long-term matter, requiring a change in the way people in society think and the removal of gender stereotypes; this cannot be achieved overnight. Countries that have a greater proportion of women in politics and public life have achieved this through the long-term targeted development of activities to promote women's platforms within political parties, parliaments and local government, and through the implementation of voluntary internal mechanisms designed to ensure the balanced representation of men and women in electoral lists.

Of course, the political sphere should be the first to fly the flag for equal opportunities between women and men in decision-making positions and to explain clearly how it intends to achieve this in practice. The problem is how to motivate political parties and movements to follow this path. The most effective way forward seems to be demand for the greater involvement of women in politics driven by public opinion. If voters, male and female, want to see the greater representation of women on the political stage, the political parties will respond. This means focusing on the elimination of gender stereotypes and thus making positive changes in public opinion.

The European Parliament Resolution on women in decision-making of 2 March 2000 promoted, among other things, the use of quotas as a transitional measure to help even up the involvement of women in policy-making, and sought a political parity threshold of 40% for each gender in all areas of politics.

I want to see that 40% threshold reached in the next elections to the European Parliament. That would set a decent example to many national parliaments.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all women for their devoted work everyday and wish them all the best on International Women's Day.

Thank you for your attention.