COP28, Oman’s new assembly sans women, and a milestone in Australia: All you need to know about women in politics from November
#WomenLead (Issue 145): Your monthly round-up on women in politics
Hello, and welcome to the November 2023 edition of #WomenLead!
It’s that time of the year. Climate is the talk of the town. In the meantime, we stare at this gathering of world leaders, trying hard to #spotthemwomen, wondering what such summits really mean without an equitable representation of women at the highest negotiating tables. But *sigh* that’s just us.
In this month’s edition, we bring you updates from Australia, France, India, Liberia, Oman, Spain and The Gambia.
🚨 We also have a new section to bring you some (in corporate speak) “ecosystem updates”. Please feel free to drop in additions for this section going forward by writing to us!
In case you missed last month’s edition, you can read it here.
Election Watch
Tracking women among candidates and winners
🇴🇲 OMAN: In October, Oman held elections to elect members to the Majlish A'Shura Council for its tenth term. It was a landmark election – the first time polls were held on an app-based platform. However, in a major setback to women’s representation, not a single woman has been elected to the 90-member Council, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
🇱🇷 LIBERIA: Nine women have been elected to Liberia’s Parliament in the most recent general election, making up a tenth of all members. This is marginally lower than their share in the outgoing legislature (11 percent). Read more about the missing women in Liberia’s politics in this report from Okay Africa.
🇮🇳 INDIA: In India, legislative elections were held in five states through the month of November. Even as all parties in the fray went all out to woo women voters, they were united in keeping women on the margins of their own candidate pools. Women comprised just a tenth of candidates across all states, a Business Standard analysis shows. This was despite all parties helping pass a historic legislation recently in India’s Parliament to reserve a third of all seats in the national and state legislatures for women (that bill has been passed, but it isn’t likely to be implemented any time soon).
[🔌 SELF PLUG: Here are two reports on the elections, one from Telangana and the other across all states, where #WomenLead got an opportunity to share our thoughts]
🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA: And finally, [at least] something to cheer about! In Australia, the state of Victoria reached a historic milestone, when a by-election led to the state Parliament achieve gender parity for the first time! Eden Foster was elected to a seat vacated by Daniel Andrews, and this led to the Victorian Parliament having 64 women and 64 men.
Way to go! Read more here and here.
Leaders
Updates about women leading countries, states and movements
There are 12 women among the 22 members of Spain’s new cabinet, Euro News reported. Pedro Sánchez, who has been reelected as the European nation’s PM said:
“The new government is going to have a marked feminist accent with four women deputy prime ministers and more female ministers than male ministers.”
On-the-job updates
Spotlighting women’s experiences in political office
In France, senator Joel Guerriau is being investigated for allegedly adding drugs to the drink of a female colleague in what appears to be an attempt to sexually assault her. Sandrine Josso felt unwell after she had a drink with Guerriau at his house in Paris on November 14. She was taken to a hospital where blood tests revealed traces of the drug ecstasy. She later filed a police complaint. Guerriau is currently under investigation – he has been suspended by his party (the Horizons party, an ally of the ruling party). Read more in RFI here.
Policy Watch
Because policy shifts matter
A report by The Gambia’s Election Watch Committee has recommended introducing quotas for women at the national and local-level politics in the country. The report noted the low share of women among candidates contesting polls even as they comprise 57 percent of the voters. Read more here.
Nagaland, a state in India’s north-eastern region has finally passed a law to reserve a third of seats in urban local bodies. India introduced reservation for women in local governments in 1992. However, the act met resistance in Nagaland where local-level organisations said this provision was against their customary laws. The matter was eventually fought in the courts, and after the Supreme Court of India directed the state to implement the law.
Reading List
The more one learns, there’s only more to learn
“Swiss parliament: who is entitled to be represented?”: SwissInfo
“Online vitriol could undo decades of political progress, warns Dutch deputy PM”: The Guardian
“Grit and glamour: how Mahua Moitra shook up the misogyny and hypocrisy of Indian politics”: The Guardian
“Rachel Reeves: I was influenced by Margaret Thatcher”: Independent
“‘Speaking as a man’: Gendered insults at Republican debate highlight a risky strategy”: The Washington Post
“Harriett Baldwin: the fund manager turned Tory MP fighting sexism in the City”: The Guardian
Community Watch
A quick round-up from the folks working at the intersection of gender x politics
The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics is inviting comments as part of its e-discussion gender norms and how they impact women’s political empowerment. Contribute here.
The ALIGN (Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms) Platform recently released 7 new research reports examining how gender norms shape women’s engagement with, influence over, and experiences in local governance institutions and decision-making processes in Nepal, Nigeria, Peru and Zimbabwe. Read them here.
That’s a wrap for November! Liked this edition? Then press the ❤️ button and show us some love! And please, please do share this with a friend or on your social media accounts. There’s frankly nothing quite like reader love and endorsement, so please keep it coming! Thank you!
Disclaimer: #WomenLead is a non-partisan newsletter produced in a personal capacity, and does not reflect any institutional affiliation/opinion. In case of any questions, please drop in a message at womenlead.project@gmail.com