Briefing papersAugust 2020Rachel George, with Emma Samman, Katie Washington and Alina OjhaEllen Johnson Sirleaf, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Former President of Liberia, at PeaceCon 2019. Photo: US Institute of PeaceWhile women are increasingly exercising their right to political participation, many who aspire to political office still find their way barred by the gender norms that see politics as a masculine space. This ALIGN guide focuses on the influence of gender norms in three key areas:women’s parliamentary representationwomen’s experiences running for and standing in leadership positions, andwomen’s engagement in civic action and social movements.The guide raises fundamental questions about the ways that gender norms interact with social and economic conditions to work for or against women’s representation and the persistent influence of gender norms on their political aspirations.Women have become an undeniable force in positions of political power in the 21st century.Female leaders such as Dilma Rouseff in Brazil, Angela Merkel in Germany and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, among many others, have made their mark on the world’s political stage in recent years. And while women have become a growing presence in politics, increasingly diverse types of women hold power. Finland elected its youngest Prime Minister, Juha Sipilä, a woman aged 34. Young women activists have been at the heart of political movements – from Alaa Salah in Sudan to Greta Thunberg in the global climate debates – taking centre stage across local governments, in protests, and as influential activists and thought leaders.While the formal rules that impede women’s equal participation in politics were eliminated in most countries during the 20th century (with women’s disenfranchisement persisting in the Arab Gulf region in some cases into the early 21st century, easing with Saudi Arabia’s 2008 reforms for women in politics), informal rules and norms still mean that women’s routes to participation in politics and their experiences can differ from those of men. Identifying and addressing the informal, often implicit, rules that serve as barriers to women’s full participation is vital.Read the research Gender norms and women in politics: evaluating progress and identifying challenges on the 25th anniversary of the Beijing PlatformRelated Women at the forefront of Sudan’s political transformation: recommendations from a workshop on women’s rights, representation and resilience in a new SudanThis paper presents the findings of an ODI workshop that convened Sudanese women to discuss women’s participation in Sudan’s political future.Working and discussion papers11 November 2019Women and power: how women leaders negotiate Gaza's political realityThis case study focuses on Gazan women’s experience of exercising voice and leadership in a complex, rapidly evolving, conflict-affected context.Research reports and studies4 February 2016Women and power: representation and influence in Malawi's parliamentThis case study uses the 2014 election to examine trends in women’s access to parliamentary power in Malawi.Research reports and studies4 February 2016 Women and power: overcoming barriers to leadership and influenceExamining when and how women and girls have substantive voice and leadership in decision-making processes within politics, society and the economy.Projects1 March 2014See more:genderpoliticspolitical systemsunited nationsgender-based violenceGlobal
