POLITICAL LIFE AND DECISION-MAKING Cover Image

POLITICAL LIFE AND DECISION-MAKING
POLITICAL LIFE AND DECISION-MAKING

Author(s): Emina Bošnjak
Subject(s): Politics, Gender Studies, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Evaluation research
Published by: Sarajevo Open Centre
Keywords: BiH; human rights; women; political life: decision-making; representation; SDA; SDS; SBB;

Summary/Abstract: Women are underrepresented in the main bodies of the key political parties in BiH. Extreme examples are two parties (SDA and SDS) in which the party president and all the vice-presidents are male. In other political parties women hold at least one vice-presidential seat, which amounts to representation of 10-20% (depending on the number of seats). Special measures of naming 5 women as members of the Executive Committee of SDA resulted in only 10% representation, due to the large board membership. In SBB the requirement is for 25% of women as members of the Executive board. Although political parties are organized on different principles, the one thing they have in common is that women are also underrepresented in other party bodies, specifically that instances of equal representation of at least 40% are an exception rather than the rule. The representation of women is somewhat higher in the more numerous party bodies, while it is usually around 20% in the key decision-making bodies.

  • Issue Year: 2016
  • Issue No: *
  • Page Range: 28-33
  • Page Count: 6
  • Language: English