syl
Ancient Mariner
My country (France for those who don’t already know) has always been behind on that subject.
French women got the right to vote only in 1945 whereas most of other European countries (and many others) granted woman suffrage in the first 40 years of the 20th century.
That’s the past but when it comes to consider the women who are trying to make a political carreer, I feel very ashamed.
Statistics in France :
Less than 1 mayor on 10 is a woman
There’s 12,2 % of women in the National assembly (Lower House)
There’s 16.9 % of women in the Senate (Upper House)
Have a look at the classification of women in parliaments and you’ll understand why I’m ashamed of my country : rank 84, can’t we do better ?
Those rates have increased since 1998 but they have increased faster in other countries as a result the rank of France has fallen from 41 in 1998 to 84 in 2006.
Even election quotas introduced in 2000 (the “parity law”) didn’t really change anything in France as the political parties preffer to pay financial penalties rather than respecting a balance between the number of women and men among their candidates.
Why ? Some would say it’s because women lack of interest for the political life (or worst because of their lack of competence) but it’s not? as french women are very active in associations.
I’m afraid it shows once again that men are reluctant to share their power and also that french male politician are suffering from some kind of “political schizophrenia” as on one hand they voted the "parity law" but on the other hand they transgressed it.
I also read that this tendency comes from the long history of France in excluding women from the political life : remember that French women were excluded from governing by the Salic law, that after the French Revolution they were deprived from political rights and that Napoleon gave them a statute equal to the statute of the children.
Other links :
Database of quotas for women by country
History of women suffrage
French women got the right to vote only in 1945 whereas most of other European countries (and many others) granted woman suffrage in the first 40 years of the 20th century.
That’s the past but when it comes to consider the women who are trying to make a political carreer, I feel very ashamed.
Statistics in France :
Less than 1 mayor on 10 is a woman
There’s 12,2 % of women in the National assembly (Lower House)
There’s 16.9 % of women in the Senate (Upper House)
Have a look at the classification of women in parliaments and you’ll understand why I’m ashamed of my country : rank 84, can’t we do better ?
Those rates have increased since 1998 but they have increased faster in other countries as a result the rank of France has fallen from 41 in 1998 to 84 in 2006.
Even election quotas introduced in 2000 (the “parity law”) didn’t really change anything in France as the political parties preffer to pay financial penalties rather than respecting a balance between the number of women and men among their candidates.
Why ? Some would say it’s because women lack of interest for the political life (or worst because of their lack of competence) but it’s not? as french women are very active in associations.
I’m afraid it shows once again that men are reluctant to share their power and also that french male politician are suffering from some kind of “political schizophrenia” as on one hand they voted the "parity law" but on the other hand they transgressed it.
I also read that this tendency comes from the long history of France in excluding women from the political life : remember that French women were excluded from governing by the Salic law, that after the French Revolution they were deprived from political rights and that Napoleon gave them a statute equal to the statute of the children.
Other links :
Database of quotas for women by country
History of women suffrage