Quota Empowering Women or Reinforcing Marginality Bangladesh Experience
Quota: Empowering Women or Reinforcing Marginality? Bangladesh Experience Dr. Najma Chowdhury Bushra Chowdhury University of Dhaka
• Quota: an empowering tool? • Setting the context • Features of Bangladesh experience • Hierarchical gender relations • Limited women’s political participation • Quota introduced to strengthen women’s political status • Quota: an instrument of patriarchal control 2
Constitutional Provisions Parliament • 300 seats from single member territorial constituencies • 15 seats reserved for women elected by members from 300 seats • This arrangement to continue for 10 years 3
Constitutional Provisions Subsequent changes • Reserved seats increased to 30 for 15 years • Method of election remains the same • Reserved seats increased to 45 • Method of election- ‘proportional representation’ 4
Quota or Reserved Seats? Quota • Affirmative action • ‘Fast track’ access to national parliament Discourse on Quota • Increased membership of under/unrepresented • Small minorities turn into large minorities 5
Quota or Reserved Seats? Continued • Reaching a critical mass • Inherently dynamic Debate on Reservation • Visibility vs. empowerment 6
Quota Implementation Features • Quota led to limited entry of women (4. 5% in 1972 to 13% in 2006) • Mode of election: paradoxical • Reserved seats remained marginalized and prone to political manipulation 7
Reserved Seats in Local Government • Constitutional Provision (Art. 9)- special representation of women • Union Parishad (UP)- one fourth membership reserved for women • Direct election to reserved seats • 12684 women in 4228 UPs • Awareness of rights and status 8
Gains Made by Quota • • • Political representation Governance Women’s agenda Role model Political space 9
Negative Impact on Women’s Status • • • Political dependence Constituency linkages Political status Manipulation of women’s seats Shrinking of democratic space 10
Lessons Learnt • Increase the number and proportion of seats • Introduce quota across the board • Democratize the electoral process • Develop a twin strategy • Organize for support and motivation • Forge alliances 11
Why the Resistance • Apprehension by those in power that sharing would lead to diminution of power • Institutional culture of resistance to change work mode or agenda 12
Concluding Comments Election Commission reform measures • Quota for women across the board at 33% • Women’s movement welcome reform package • Some political parties non-committed • Others see them as unpractical and impossible to implement 13
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