Womens Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgarias experi - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experiеnce

Christina Christova, President, NMSP- Bulgaria

12-th June 2010, Berlin Liberal International 184-th Executive Committee Meeting

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Gender Equality in Politics – History and Current Problems

• Democratic societies should consider the view point
• f the different social groups when making decisions
• When 1995 Beijin Platform was signed women in the

national parliaments all over the world were an average of 10 %

• 12 years later the share is already 17 %
• The critical barrier for influencing important

decisions is some 30 %

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Why Gender Policy in Politics

• Women’s political rights are their human rights
• It will be a real loss in case the ideas, the experience

and the talents of half of the mankind are not utilized

• Gender equality is not only a “physical presence”,

but a quality of decisions

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Conditions for Social Sensibility

• At least 30 % of society should percept the problem
• Gender mainstreaming training for both men and

women

• Creating a National Mechanism for Gender Equality –

at the highest level of the executive power with a mandate to implement, coordinate, control and evaluate all the policies in the sphere

• Specific legal framework in place

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Bulgaria’s Experience

• Women in Bulgaria are some 51,4 % of the total population
• Still their share in the national governance is quite lower
• A Road Map for Gender Equality has been adopted in 2006
• A National Council for Gender Equality is functioning with the

Government of Bulgaria

• There is an independent Non Discrimination Committee
• There is an effective legal framework for gender equality

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Bulgaria – Women in Parliament

• In the present 41st Parliament 52 out of the total of

240 deputies are women or some 21,25%

• In the previous 40th Parliament where the two

Bulgarian liberal parties participated in the majority women MPs were 50 or 21%

• Eight years ago when NMSP was governing with the
• ther liberal party women in Parliament were 62 or

26%

• 42 out of these 62 women MPs were from NMSP – or

68% of all women MPs were liberals

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Bulgaria – Gender Equality in the Central Executive Power

• Currently in the European Union the ratio women

versus men in the member states governments is 1:3

• Ending its mandate the liberal National Movement

for Stability and Prosperity (NMSP) Cabinet had 5 women ministers out of a total of 20 – some 25%

• During the next coalition government including

NMSP the ratio was 3 out of 17 – or 18 %

• Currently the ruling right party GERB has 3 women
• ut of 17 ministers – or 18%

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Bulgaria – Women in the Liberal NMSP

• The participation of women in politics depends on

the party’s attitude towards women

• In the Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha (NMSP) Cabinet 6
• ut of 18 ministers were women – or 30%, the

highest after the transition

• And 18 out of 54 deputy ministers were women – or

33%

• 42 out of 115 MPs of the Parliamentary group were

women –or 36%

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin.

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Bulgaria – Women in the Liberal NMSP

• The first European commissioner of Bulgaria was

NMSP’s Miglena Kuneva, elected afterwards as Commissioner N1 and 2008 European N1

• In the Party currently we have the President, a Vice

President and 8 women out of 20 members of the Political Committee of NMSP

• Out of 3 NMSP members of the European Parliament

2 are women

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Bulgaria – Gender Equality at Local Level

• In Bulgaria in 2007 women participated in the

local government management at around 22 %

• Elected she-mayors are just 9%

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Bulgaria – Women in the Public Administration

• In 1999 the share of women at the two highest

levels in the state administration was 17%

• In 2007 the number has grown to some 33 %

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience June 2010, Berlin.

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Strategies for Optional Interventions

• Quotas in the election legislation– temporary

instrument

• The importance of the attitude of the political parties
• Liberal vision and liberal policies in the governance
• Access of women to education and information
• Training of the civil society and the public

administration

• Social services development is a basic condition for

women’s political careers

Christina Christova, President NMSP Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

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Women’s Participation and Gender Equality in Policy Bulgaria’s experience. June 2010, Berlin

Thank you for the attention!

Christina Christova, President NMSP