COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE Colombo, Sri Lanka
58th CWP Session - 12 September 2012
IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A WOMEN’S AGENDA IN PARLIAMENT? IF NOT, WHY NOT? IF SO, WHAT SHOULD IT BE?
Chairperson: Hon. Alix Boyd Knights, MHA, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dominica
Discussion Leaders: Dr the Hon. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, MP, President of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, Sri Lanka Sen. Helen Polley, Australia Ms Myrna Driedger, MLA, Manitoba Ms Kemi Ogunsanya, Gender and Political Development Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat
Some Members expressed the view that the idea of a women’s agenda in Parliament in itself marginalizes women, while others argued that such an agenda is necessary due to social inequalities that cripple women and restrict their movement in the political arena. A women’s agenda was opposed
because it would reinforce a male perspective that women require special treatment due to a lack of capacity and capability. Equality must be achieved through strategic plans of action that are the result of a combined effort to instigate changes in social, economic and political spheres as opposed to a specific agenda imposed on society. Members opposing this view
pointed out that most institutions, including Parliament, were established by men for men, which makes a women’s agenda in Parliament necessary to ensure the decisions made by Parliament are
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scrutinized through a gender lens and are gender-sensitive. To promote women to take leading roles in public life and to ensure that others accept and acknowledge this role, it is necessary to have an agenda that responds to the various degrees of discrimination in each country. All participants were in agreement
that women’s representation in Parliament is an issue that requires further attention. The need to encourage the younger generation to take part actively in politics and the role of women leaders within the CPA in advocating change would hopefully shift the attitudes of both men and women towards equality and fair treatment.
Making a difference The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarian’s session began with the soft but powerful resonance of the CWP anthem with all delegates rising together to sing the first verse of the
anthem. They were all in agreement that women, who constitute over 50 per cent of the world’s population, require a stronger presence in Parliament in order to ensure that decision-making is gender-sensitive. The world average for female representation in Parliament as at 2012 is 19.5 per cent; but this drops down to what was described as a dismally low figure in the case of Arab states while some southern African and Asian countries also record relatively low figures. Women will bring a different
set of skills than that of men to the decision-making process which would help enhance the quality of the decisions made, it was argued. The question posed by Ms. Lovitta Foggo, MP, of Bermuda – “What can we do as a group?” – was repeated by many other Members of the CWP as well and the role of the CWP as an agent of change in this process was discussed.