<
https://theconversation.com/whats-the-secret-to-attracting-more-women-into-politics-give-them-more-resources-222159>
"With Victorian council elections to be held in October, the state government’s
target of reaching 50-50 gender representation at the local level is under
threat.
While the state achieved a record 43.8% of women elected to councils in 2020,
outperforming most federal and state parliaments, and succeeded in achieving
gender parity in 47 out of 76 councils, the overall 50-50 gender representation
target by 2025 will still be difficult to reach.
Globally, gender quotas have been a tried and tested way of lifting women’s
political representation. But research also shows quotas can divide public
opinion, and they work better in some contexts than others. With this in mind,
we wanted to test alternative measures to support women in politics, which also
attract public support.
Our latest research shows Australians are generally supportive of giving women
politicians a range of resources such as better compensation, childcare and
housekeeping funds, and more flexibility with online meetings, to help keep
them in office.
Australia struggles with women’s representation in its parliaments across our
three tier system. Despite a record number of women entering the federal
parliament in 2022, Australia is currently ranked 34th in the world for women’s
representation in the lower house.
While local governments tend to fare slightly better, they also struggle to
achieve equal gender representation. In response, the Victorian government set
a target in 2016 for 50% women councillors and Mayors by 2025.
Achieving this goal is important because it makes society more equal,
reflecting the fact that women account for just over 50% of the population.
There are other benefits too. Local government can be an excellent training
ground for women politicians, which may in turn bolster women’s representation
in other tiers of government. And so, women need more support to ensure they
can run for local government and be supported once in office."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
