Policy areas

PUBLIC LIFE & DECISION MAKING

 

Governance can be defined as “the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels.” Governance is manifest in the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which decisions are negotiated and implemented. It refers not only to formal public decision-making structures and processes (i.e. national and local government), but includes decision-making within the family, community and private sector as well.

 

As the UNDP handbook on "Gender Mainstreaming in Practice" points out, gender balanced participation in governance processes not only refers to the physical presence of men and women “around the decision-making table”, but also to the quality of participation, i.e. meaningful engagement which stems from a mutual respect for diverse opinions and standpoints. By the same token, mainstreaming a “gender perspective” into governance thus entails addressing the ways in which men and women participate in, and are affected by various systems of governance, as well as the interaction between these various systems.

 

In spite of international conventions, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action, and the Universal Declaration of Democracy, stressing the importance of equitable access and participation of women and men in power structures and decision-making, women’s participation in power structures in all spheres of society is far below men’s.

 

A review of the status of women’s power and influence in the ECE region shows that there is a consistent pattern of decreasing numbers of women as decision-making hierarchies are ascended, both within the private and public sector. According to official figures from 2000, men were heads of states in 49 out of 55 ECE member states, reflecting the limits of women’s possibility to shape the society of which they are a part. Some of the main gender concerns, when it comes to public life and decision-making, can be grouped together as follows:

 

Key positions in political decision-making	Towards an improved quality of governance, a more equitable participation of women and men is needed in political parties, parliaments, government positions, and public administration, in particular at a decision-making level, in the ECE region.
Key positions in economic decision-making	At a national level in the ECE member states, as well as at an international level, men by far outnumber women in economic decision-making.
Key positions in other areas: the judiciary and education	The judiciary and education sphere further reflect on the gender aspects of decision-making in the ECE region.
Gender and the media	The mass media not only reflect society, but also plays a part in directing it. Men continue to outnumber women in decision-making in the media, although the number of women in the profession has increased over the last decades. The media plays an important role in shaping and reflecting gender roles and stereotypes.
List of Public Life & Decision Making Indicators recommended by the Task Force. View Statistics associated with this Policy Area.