To understand the obstacles women face when participating in politics, national authorities need to generate more gender-disaggregated data, Policy and Campaign Officer for the European Women’s Lobby, Jéromine Andolfatto, told Euractiv.
There is a lack of qualitative and quantitative information on women going to the ballot box, Andolfatto said, pointing out that not all EU countries publish gender data on voting.
“The lack of data on women’s political participation is a challenge. We asked some national electoral authorities to publish this information, to identify trends and causes of inequality,” said the European Women’s Lobby officer.
The group is a network of European NGOs that advocate for women’s rights and gender equality.
One example is the amalgamation of data on voter demographics with insights into the backgrounds of female voters. Gaining the possibility of a more nuanced understanding of the realities facing women seeking to become more politically active, Andolfatto pointed out.
This can help gather information on women for example, with disabilities or migrant backgrounds, who plan to vote. This can aid in addressing the discrimination they may face due to their identities
However, “it is not only about going to vote,” said the expert, but also how they involve themselves in political activism and get their voice heard.
Sexism is not a relic of the past
According to Andolfatto, women in politics continue to be subjected to a wide range of attacks and patterns of discrimination to delegitimise their work.
“When we talk about obstacles for women standing as candidates, for instance, a root cause is sexism. It is the expression of a historic unequal power relation that aims to leave women in a subordinate place, to make them less credible.
Sexism then, can translate to having different forms of expressing itself, including violence against women in politics, for instance.” said Andolfatto
She pointed out that some women – such as those who are younger, or of a religious minority – are especially vulnerable to attacks.
Andolfatto highlighted a study published in 2018 by the Council of Europe and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which investigated the pushback women involved in politics faced once elected.
“The study revealed that more than 85% of women elected in parliaments had suffered from psychological violence, and more than 46% of them received threats of violence or rape.”
Additionally “58% were targeted by online sexist attacks and harassment.” A third of women politicians said this negatively impacted their freedom of speech.
Looking ahead, Andolfatto welcomed the EU directive to combat violence against women, a law that “goes in the right direction” via targeted measures to protect women from both physical and online attacks.
EU legislators have reached a provisional agreement on the law in early February.
[Edited by Rajnish Singh]
EU agrees first law combatting violence against women
EU member countries and lawmakers reached an agreement on Tuesday (6 February) on the bloc’s first rules to tackle violence against women, the European Parliament and officials said.
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Source: euractiv.com
