WOMEN IN PARLIAMENTS – GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Iako ženska zastupljenost u nacionalnim parlamentima nakon Drugoga svjetskog rata stalno raste, žene još uvijek nisu postigle ni 20% zastupljenosti. Parlamenti u kojima participira 30% ili 40% žena češće se spominju kao hvalevrijedne iznimke negoli (još neostvareni) cilj. Razlozi ovakvog stanja leže u specifičnim rodnim/spolnim preprekama tj. političkim, socioekonomskim i sociokulturnim faktorima koji utječu na ulazak žena u parlamente. U ovome se radu razmatraju ovi faktori te posljedice veće zastupljenosti žena za politički sustav i društvo u cjelini. Autorica zaključuje kako, osim zadovoljenja ideala pravednosti, povećanje udjela žena u nacionalnim parlamentima može poboljšati položaj žena u društvu, ali i povjerenje žena i muškaraca u predstavničke institucije.Although the representation of women in national parliaments has been on the increase since World War Two, the number of women in assemblies has yet to reach 20 percent. The parliaments in which women participate with 30 or 40 percent are most viewed as laudable exceptions rather than (as yet) the unattained objective. The reasons lie in the specific gender obstacles i.e. political, socio-economic and socio-cultural factors affecting the entry of women into parliaments. This paper deals with these factors and the consequences of a stronger female representation for the political system and the society on the whole. The author concludes that besides satisfying the ideal of justice the increased share of women in national parliaments may improve the position of women in the society and also strengthen the trust of both women and men in representative institutions