Gender and governance in Europe & CIS

Inclusive democracy implies the participation of all social actors, including women, in public policy dialogue and decision making. Moreover it requires the active participation of women as decision-makers in all branches of state. While there has been some success in a few countries in increasing the representation of women in legislatures, there has been less success in establishing a common understanding among all parliamentarians of the role that gender equality plays in national development. Moreover, other branches of the state remain in most countries virtually untouched by understanding of gender equality as a principle of governance and driver of development, or by gender parity. However, having a larger proportion of women in government does not in and of itself guarantees a more inclusive or participatory governance, for women as well as men are bearers of discriminatory attitudes and behaviours.

 

 

Gender-balanced participation in governance processes thus not only presupposes the physical presence of men and women “around the decision- making table,” but also to the quality of participation, i.e., meaningful engagement that stems from a mutual respect for diverse opinions and standpoints.   Mainstreaming gender perspective into governance therefore entails addressing the ways in which both genders participate in and are affected by various systems of governance as well as the interaction between these various systems. Some of the most fundamental political instruments are public budgets, and both budgets and governance are questions of accountability. This is why budget making processes and policies should also be analyzed from a gender and governance perspective.