Women's political representation in Lithuania

Straipsnyje analizuojama moterų politinio atstovavimo situacija ir galimybės Lietuvoje. Remiantis Lietuvos ir užsienio mokslininkų (Matonytė 2002, 2007; Reingardienė 2004; Pateman 1988, 1989; Gal, Kligman 2000; Sapiro 2006 ir kt.) teorinėmis įžvalgomis, akcentuojama viešos ir privačios erdvių dichotomijos kaita kaip viena pagrindinių sąlygų, lemiančių moterų politinio atstovavimo raiškos galimybes. Straipsnyje pristatomi kokybinio tyrimo – moterų parlamentarių interviu – rezultatai. Tyrimas atskleidė Lietuvos parlamentarių akcentuojamas asmenines savybes, padėjusias įsitraukti į politiką: asmeninį aktyvumą visuomeniškumą, siekį spręsti aktualias visuomenės problemas bei tam tikrą aplinkos palaikymą paskatinimą prisijungti prie politinės veiklos. Išryškėjo, kad tokie aspektai kaip moteriško solidarumo stoka, tradiciniai stereotipiniai požiūriai į lyčių veiklų galimybes, kylantys dėl viešosios ir privačiosios erdvių takoskyros, riboja visavertį moterų politinį atstovavimąIn 1919, Lithuanian women were granted full political rights, but these were restricted several years later, in 1926. During the Soviet times, public participation was dramatically reduced for both genders. After restoration of the Lithuania's independence in 1990, fundamental societal transformations created favorable conditions for the development of civic participation. As declared in the numerous national and international legal documents, both women and men enjoy equal rights to participate in all sorts of public and political activities. In Lithuanian case, women have never been totally excluded from the public sphere; however, their participation in public realm has been influenced by the patriarchal practices and women's attempt to adapt to masculine domination structures. The article is aimed at exploring opportunities of women's political representation, including gender position in public and private spheres, as well as social capital. In the empirical part, analysis of qualitative research data collected through the individual in-depth interviews with twenty Lithuanian women parliamentarians is presented. It attempts to answer the following questions: What are the conditions for women entering and acting in political sphere? What are the possibilities for women to gain leadership positions in the parliament structures? How do women assess the opportunities of political representation? The research revealed interesting insights regarding gender differences in politics. In the process of democratization, traditional attitudes towards gender roles and women's political representation prevail in the Lithuanian society. They are absorbed by different societal structures and institutions, for instance, the parliament and its activities. As the research shows, women are more likely to be involved in the sectors of social policy and education rather than in economics, finance, etc. in the parliament structures. In the post-communist society women encounter particular conditions affecting their opportunities of political representation. Officially, favorable conditions for gender equality have been set up on the national and international level, however, the lack of political culture, as well as the lack of women's solidarity reduce the scope of political representation among women. It appears that women's solidarity has a significant effect on women's engagement in politics. Informants pointed out the lack of gender solidarity during the electoral period and in their parliamentary work. Gender roles and activities are usually discussed through the framework of already existing stereotypical thinking. However, deliberate acknowledgement and acceptance of one's prejudices is a crucial condition in changing stereotypical thinkin