WOMEN AND POLITICS GUEST LECTURE, PROFESSOR KATHLEEN M. DOWLEY POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

WOMEN AND POLITICS RESEARCH IN POLITICAL SCIENCE THREE AREAS OF RESEARCH : PARTICIPATION, REPRESENTATION AND GOVERNANCE WHAT DO WE KNOW? WOMEN AS POLITICAL PARTICIPANTS GETTING AND USING THE VOTE Globally, women’s suffrage is universal nearly everywhere though voting itself not always easy or meaningful

IN THE U.S: Since 1980, Women Turnout to Vote at Higher Rate than Men

Women Register to Vote at a Higher Rate than Men

And when they vote, they are more likely to vote Democratic But the gender gap not as large As the racial gap In US

Women are Still Everywhere Under- Represented In Politics: But they’ve Made more Progress in Some Countries Compared To others What Explains that Variation?

The higher the percentage agreeing that “Women Make Just As Good Political Leaders As men,” the higher the percentage of women in elected office (WVS, 2004). Cultural Attitudes Matter: They influence Supply and Demand for Female Candidates

Economic Resources: Globally, women Still have fewer In terms of land, wealth, education, And income BUT THIS DOES NOT EXPLAIN MUCH In the Developed World

EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $400 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making it one of the most successful political organizations ever. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research women's issues, and turn out women voters. We've recruited and trained over 9,000 women to run, and helped elect over 100 women to the House, 19 to the Senate, 10 governors, and over five hundred to state and local office. Since its founding in 1985, almost one-third of the candidates EMILY’s List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color - including every single Latina, African American, and Asian American Democratic woman currently serving. During the cycle, EMILY’s List raised a record-breaking $52 million dollars. With the help of now more than three million members, EMILY’s List helped elect an historic number of candidates in 2012 including 19 new women to the House, six Senate incumbents, and three new Senators. EMILY's List It takes Vast resources To run for National Office in US Of course it Would be best To get the $$ Out of Politics But until then Women have Organized to Level the resource Gap

Twice as many women elected in PR systems vs SMD POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS MATTER: In US, Incumbency works against women, as does the electoral system

Institutions Matter: Over 100 countries Now mandate Quotas for Women In Legislatures

Women In Office: Do They Govern in A Different Voice? If they reach a Critical Mass, Early Research on US States Suggests Yes From 2005 Institute for Women’s Policy Research

Does Having More Women in Politics Matter? A Comparative Perspective from India 1993, India adopted quota system for village level (panchayat) councils 1/3 women and devolved more power to these councils Studies since then have demonstrated substantial impacts in two areas: Women villagers are more likely to report incidences of gender based violence Women representatives are twice as likely to pursue access to and repair of water facilities in villages than men, because water is “woman’s” job (Chattopadhyay and Duflo (2004) )

Women in Foreign Policy: It’s Still a Man’s World FP Article by M. Zenko “City of Men” reported on underrepresentation of women in foreign policy roles in Washington DC, despite the fact that past three Secretaries of State were women  154 of 723 foreign policy “fellows” at think tanks in DC are women (21%)  16% of Pentagon’s “senior defense analysts” are women  22% of US State Department’s “senior leaders” are women  29% of USAid Senior Foreign Service specialists are women  At the UN, progress but women Still underrepresented in the non “gendered” divisions

WHY SO FEW WOMEN? Demand Side Explanations:The Fukuyama Problem “Women and the Evolution of World Politics” Makes biologically reductionist argument re: a more feminized world as a more peaceful world, but zones of peace will still need to confront threats from masculine regions where violence still rules (and women leaders will be unwilling to do so) Supply Side Explanations:The Ann Marie Slaughter Problem “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All” Fewer women in Foreign Policy and international relations positions of power because its harder to find work-life balance in such fields Policy Research Suggests it does matter that women are less present in FP discussions Women and UN peacekeeping UNSCR 1325 (2000) and its implementation Increasing number of women in UN police and peacekeeping missions Including gendered perspectives in peace negotiations and settlements Addressing and reducing gender based violence in post conflict settings

In 2009, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announces Office for Global Women’s Issues In US Dept. of State, and post of Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Catherine Roberts is the current ambassador-at-large The office has the following mandate:  Integrate the advancement of women & girls in US Foreign Policy  Accelerate women’s economic participation  Fully integrate women in peace and security building (Nat’l Action Plan)  More effectively prevent and respond to gender based violence globally  Promote women’s effective political participation  Ensure women and girls are at the center of development programs  Build and enable evidence based decision-making (gather the data on women/girls)  Empower local actors and partners Raising the profile and salience of women’s rights? Or window dressing? Promoting Women’s Rights as a US Foreign Policy Priority, a Mixed Record

Feminist Critiques of US “Liberal Internationalism” as Foreign Policy doctrine Hypocrisy of rhetoric of “rescuing” Muslim women from “barbaric” Islam Hypocrisy of promoting women’s rights as human rights except when we don’t Continued US Failure to ratify CEDAW or affirm Cairo Declaration Inconsistency in promoting women’s health but aversion to programs that promote reproductive rights, choices, really anything but abstinence US Economic policies continue to disadvantage the most vulnerable, in the name of free trade, the majority of which are women Feminists should organize and resist rather than be coopted to legitimize or make more palatable US Foreign Policy Example: Feminist organizations (NOW, Feminist Majority, AAUW) mobilizing alongside Big Labor unions to oppose TPP and Fast Track authority