Resources on POWER & DECISION-MAKING
Section g
"The power relations that prevent women from leading fulfilling lives operate at many levels of society, from the most personal to the highly public. Achieving the goal of equal participation of women and men in decision-making will provide a balance that more accurately reflects the composition of society and is needed in order to strengthen democracy and promote proper functioning.."
Beijing Platform for Action.
Websites and Electronic Resources
http://www.akinamama.com
Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) is a non-governmental development organisation for African women. It is based in the UK with a regional office in Kampala, Uganda. This website is an invaluable resource for linking the African Women’s Leadership Institute, training programs, small grants for women in leadership, and UK based programs for women as leaders.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/wiwp/dyncon/what.shtml
The British Broadcasting Corporation World service website features "Getting More women in Power: What It Will Take." This website details an eleven point analysis formed through interviews with women in the political arena, and provides information through links to the Beijing Platform for Action, and other women’s organisations focused on Women in Power & Decision-Making. In addition to a glossary of words related to political issues.
http://www.capwip.org
The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) is a non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental regional organization (NGO) dedicated to promoting equal participation of women in politics and decision-making. CAPWIP was established in 1992 by a group of women from the Asia-Pacific region who share a vision of governance that affirms gender equality, and accountability, excellence, sustainable development and peace. This website provides information on upcoming events, newsletters, publications, conferences, and women’s experiences in politics.
http://hjem.get2net.dk/Womeningovernments
This site is a worldwide guide to women in leadership. It is dedicated to all the women who have ruled the world since the beginning of times, and provides a timeline for the progress of women as leaders. The link to "What Is New," provides updates on women recently elected into positions as leaders.
http://www.ipu.org
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is the world organization of parliaments of sovereign states, established in 1889. This website contains updated, and detailed analysis of women in politics. It provides a bibliographic database about women in politics, women parliamentarians, and follow-ups to the Beijing Conference, in addition to invaluable links, publications, which include their most recent book, "Politics: Women’s Insight," press releases, and monthly journals available in English and French.
http://www.iadb.org/sds/prolead
Prolead, launched by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), in 1995, focuses on building women leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean. This website provides information available both in English and Spanish linking grants and training programs, publications, online resources, and other linkages promoting women’s participation and leadership worldwide.
http://www.idea.int/women
International IDEA, the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, focuses on the quantitative and qualitative impact of women on political decision-making. This website provides an extensive array of links, news, and publications, including their book, "Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers." IDEA provides a forum of interaction and exchange of experience among a variety of global actors involved in the promotion of democracy.
http://www.wnpei.org/wpolit.htm
Women's Network PEI is a not-for-profit Canadian organization that works to strengthen and support the efforts of Prince Edward Island (PEI) women to improve the status of women in society. The Women in Politics Initiative was initiated with the goal of increasing the number of women holding elected positions in municipal government. The focus is on working towards improving the participation of women in municipal politics. The website provides information about the network, calendar of events, and links to other women and politics websites.
http://www.kakabaihan.org
This website aims to primarily provide full and up-to-date information on the total dimension of the issue of greater participation of Filipino women in politics and governance. The website serves as a venue for on-line information exchange, discussion and debate on pressing issues, theory, strategy and tactics, agenda, etc. among and between policy-makers, advocates, winners, candidates, voters ñ all the stakeholders concerned with advancing women in politics and public policy.
http://www.pgaction.org
Parliamentarians for Global Action’s website promotes women’s full participation in political decision-making spheres by providing information on women Legislators in Action, workshops, and an Internet project titled, Women In Legislation League (WILL). WILL is an online legislative information resource center to disseminate and monitor country commitments to the twelve critical areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform for Action.
http://www.womankind.org.uk
Womankind is a Uk-based women’s foundation. Their website provides educational information, and statistics about women in decision-making positions, CEDAW, the gender gap, and publications dealing with women’s issues.
http://www.womenlobby.org
The European Women's Lobby (EWL) is the largest co-ordinating body of national and European non-governmental women's organisations in the European Union, with over 2,700 member associations in the 15 Member States. The website includes information on campaigns, actions, and projects dealing with Beijing Plus Five in addition to publications and useful links to other women’s issue websites. Available in English and French.
Selected Books
Many of these publications can be ordered online at http://www.womenink.org
Building Democracy With Women
Ana Maria Brasileiro (Ed.)
This book from UNIFEM offers practical examples of gender-sensitive ways in which women in Latin America and the Caribbean have organized to integrate development and democracy and to elaborate the concepts of rights and citizenship. These projects range from seed money to empowering women to participate in the national planning process.
1996. 81 pages. ISBN 0-912917-39-3. WE247Z. US$7.95
Gender Politics in Global Governance
Mary K. Meyer and Elizabeth Pr¸gl (Eds.)
This book draws together new research that explores the intersection of feminist activism and international politics. It draws extensively on the role of the global women’s movement in negotiating spaces, agendas, and policies at the UN world conferences of the 1990s as well as efforts to effect change in international institutions. While the collection identifies conceptual and political debates within global feminist movements, it also presents the diverse strategies employed by organizations and networks to change governance structures, practices and discourses and draws attention to the emerging political skill and strengths of women’s organizations.
1999. 315 pages. ISBN 0-8476-9161-6. WE478W. US$26.95
Organizing Women: Formal and Informal Women’s Groups in the Middle East
Dawn Chatty and Annika Rabo (Eds.)
In many countries in the Middle East, the only legally allowed organizations are those concerned with the welfare of the disabled or handicapped. This challenging book explores the multiplicity of issues and constraints that women face when trying to organize themselves and, through case studies, shows how they still manage to form groups and act collectively for their interests.
1998. 244 pages. ISBN 1-85973-915-6. WE413X. US$19.50
Policy, Politics and Gender: Women Gaining Ground
Kathleen Staudt
Staudt focuses on political activism and strategies that have influenced great change in state and international policies. A central premise of the book is that all institutions, both within and outside government, are sources and sites of struggle for equality and justice. Separate chapters are devoted to a gender analysis of key policy areas: education, work, reproductive health and violence. Bibliography.
1998. 243 pages. ISBN 1-56549-079-7. WE411X. US$24.95
Sisterhood, Feminisms and Power in Africa
Obioma Nnaemeka (Ed.)
In this book, prominent scholars, feminists, womanists and creative writers from Africa and the African Diaspora argue for the power of sisterhood that comes from respecting the multiplicity of perspectives that make up feminisms in Africa. It combines theoretical questions and personal experiences to create a complex picture of the issues in feminism and black women's studies. Bibliography.
1997. 513 pages. ISBN 0-86543-439-5. WE388Y. US$29.95
Women and Democracy: Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe
Jane Jaquette/Sharon L. Wolchik (Eds.)
This book looks at the political experiences of women in two regions which have moved from authoritarian to democratic regimes. Addressing a range of questions about women's participation in these transitions and afterwards, the contributors offer important insights into democratic consolidation, and point to the need for greater attention to women’s role in political processes.
1998. 250 pages. ISBN 0-8018-5838-0. WE393Y. US$16.95
Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers
Azza Karam (Ed.)
This easy-to-use reference book examines how women MPs have made and can make a political impact. Contributors, including leading researchers, parliamentarians and activists, describe some of the most pertinent strategies women can use to impact on policies and political processes and examine such topics as quotas and electoral systems. Case studies.
1998. 232 pages. ISBN 91-89098-19-6. WE392Y. US$26.50
Women in the Politics of Postcommunist Eastern Europe
Marilyn Rueschemeyer (Ed.)
Updated and expanded to include new chapters on Russia, Croatia and Serbia, this is a path-breaking study of women’s experiences in the transition societies of the "new" Europe. It focuses on what has happened to women during the various stages of transition from communism to a market economy and a multiparty political system in societies in which nationalism has increasing appeal and legitimacy or where the church has gained in power. The authors, social scientists who either live and work in the region or have undertaken extensive research there seek to understand the relations of political institutions to these developments and the emerging conceptions of women’s place in the new social and political order.
1998 (revised and expanded edition). 308 pages. ISBN 0-7656-0296-2.
WE442W. US$25.95
Women, International Development, and Politics: The Bureaucratic Mire
Kathleen Staudt (Ed.)
This book examines whether the new consciousness of gender in development around the globe nurtured by the Cairo and Beijing conferences has placed more women in decision-making positions. Reflections from women and men in political organizations, international development agencies, and national groups reveal the gains women have made and the many challenges they face ahead.
1997. 356 pages. ISBN 1-56639-546-1. WE351Z. US$24.9
Many of these publications can be ordered online at http://www.womenink.org