Parliamentarians discuss steps towards realizing gender equality in OSCE parliaments

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today held a joint web dialogue on “Realizing Gender Equality in Parliament: Transforming Institutions, Delivering for all Women and Men.” More than 120 parliamentarians and experts in the field of gender-sensitive parliaments and women’s political participation exchanged views on how national parliaments can work to mainstream gender in their composition, structures, operations, and working methods, as well as their everyday work.

In her introductory remarks, OSCE PA President Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) noted that modern societies have recognized that gender inequality remains a fundamental impediment to progress and prosperity and that this must be addressed across social, economic, cultural and political lines. Sweden, she pointed out, has achieved gender balance in parliament without quotas, accomplishing it instead through fostering gender equality in society.

Noting that male leaders have a key role to play in transformation of parliaments to achieve gender equality, ODIHR’s First Deputy Director Kateryna Ryabiko stressed that “it is vital that parliaments enable the meaningful participation of women MPs and parliamentary staff in all their internal processes, including lawmaking and parliamentary oversight processes.”

To assist parliamentarians in this regard, ODIHR, in co-operation with the PA, undertook a study of good practices and lessons learned on the gender sensitivity of 46 national parliaments in the OSCE region. The research, conducted in 2020 and 2021, resulted in development of the resource “Realizing Gender Equality in Parliament: A Guide for Parliaments in the OSCE Region,” which outlines concrete steps to support the full range of parliamentary actors — from parliamentary leadership teams, members of parliament, and political and parliamentary staff, to parliamentary practitioners and civil society organizations dealing with gender equality issues — in transforming these institutions into gender-sensitive parliaments.

Dr. Sonia Palmieri, ODIHR’s International Expert, emphasized that “change occurs where there is sufficient political will, irrespective of the political system, parliamentary composition or state of development of a parliament.” She added: “Ensuring parliamentary gender sensitivity is a continuous process. With this guide, ODIHR is supporting both the OSCE region, and the world, with an updated account of how that work is progressing, and practical guidance on how to persevere.”

During the debate, participants and experts exchanged views and lessons learned on concrete ways parliaments and inter-parliamentary fora such as the OSCE PA can assist parliamentarians to advocate for gender equality, including in times of crises. The OSCE PA’s Special Representative on Gender Issues, Dr. Hedy Fry (Canada), underlined the severe impact of COVID-19 pandemic on gender equality overall and in politics. “The pandemic has made it more difficult for women to participate in the political sphere – a participation that was already affected by violence against women parliamentarians,” she said. “The pandemic has increased the proportion of unpaid care work carried out by women, resulted in greater employment loss for women than men, and further reduced women’s financial power and time availability.”

Emphasizing the importance of the newly developed guide, Dr. Fry stressed the vital role of parliamentarians in advocating for gender equality adding: “As parliamentarians, we must leverage our power to promote gender-sensitive representation and lawmaking in our legislatures. I urge all participants to give serious consideration to the recommendations made today as we work towards greater gender equality in our parliaments.”

For more information on the work of the OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues, please click here.