Too Few Women Take Part in Local Politics

It is shameful that in Vukovar-Srijem County municipalities there are no women taking part in the political process, Suzana Kunac said.

VINKOVCI, CROATIA – In no representative body in Croatian counties do women make up 40 percent, as is stated in a recommendation of the Council of Europe, said Suzana Kunac from the B.a.B.e. women’s rights organisation at a round-table conference entitled “Passing the necessary measures for a fairer participation of women in the political process in accordance with Recommendation (2003) of the Council of Europe for local elections in 2009”, held in Vinkovci on Monday. 

- Our data on the participation of women in local bodies are truly disgraceful. It is shameful that in Vukovar-Srijem County municipalities there is no woman taking part in the political process – Kunac said. She added that the new law on gender equality also stipulated that 40 percent of women should be represented at all decision-making levels in the next three electoral cycles.

- Apart from being more involved in the so-called unpaid work at home, women believe that party police is dirty and they voice the most dissatisfaction and mistrust towards the work of politicians – Kunac said, concluding that it is difficult to take part in a role if you do not have faith in that very same role.

Only 9.8% of women on lists of candidates 

She said political parties must restore the faith of women that work in political and social life does have sense and is not just related to individual interests, but general interests and the general good.

According to the chairman of the Vukovar-Srijem County’s Commission for Gender Equality, Antun Zagar, only 9.8 percent of women were on lists of candidates in local elections in 2005 in that county.

Participating at the round-table conference were also representatives of non-governmental organisations and political parties in the county.