321. Gender and Elections: Temporary Special Measures Beyond Quotas
- Author:
- Renata Segura
- Publication Date:
- 02-2015
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Social Science Research Council
- Abstract:
- Gender parity in elected office has become a central goal of national gov- ernments and international organizations around the globe. The roots of this demand extend back to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, which enshrined “the equal rights of men and women,” including the right to participate in government.1 Delegates to the United Nations World Conference on Women, held in Mexico City in 1975, called on governments to “establish goals, strategies, and timetables” to increase “the number of women in elective and appointive public offices and public functions at all levels.”2 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN Gen- eral Assembly and ratified by nearly every member state, reiterated that women must be ensured the right “to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government.”
- Topic:
- Gender Issues, Political Activism, and Elections
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus