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Are Quotas Needed To Get Women Into Politics
Mon, December 10, 2012
You might not know it, but in 2011 Belize was tied for dead last position on the Gender Gap Index as it related to political empowerment of women.

We were tied with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei - which are Islamic Monarchies - so, definitely not good company in terms of women rights.

Women's activists say something has to be done about it and that is the subject of a major new study. It's called The Situation analysis of Gender and Politics in Belize 1998 - 2012.

It makes a sweeping study to understand why women have been largely excluded from political representation. The book was launched today at the Biltmore Best Western. Executive Director of the National Women's Commission, Anne Marie Williams told us why it is so important:...

Ann-Marie Williams - National Women's Commission
"The importance of this study is to get everyone involve in trying to raise women's political representation. If you notice there are recommendations for government for political parties and for civil society and other organizations. It is important because its justice, its party and its actually right for women."

Jules Vasquez
"We live in a system where you cannot be selected to do something - you must be elected."

Ann-Marie Williams
"We are at a juncture where a lot of people vote against their own economic interest. We are in a time when we would say 3-4 candidates and often times it's not necessary the best one that wins. It's usually - you have the most money - it's almost to say, you be the minister, you be the representative and that - we have to change that."

Debra Lewis, Consultant
"Really the key thing is really the implementation of what's called temporary special measures. If you look at the experience worldwide for example there are 32 countries that have more than 30% women in their national legislatures, 28 of those countries have used some form of assistance to get there and the majority of people I spoke to thorough interviews and focus groups for the project agree that that's the case - that we really aren't going to get to where we need to be in Belize without taking that kind of action."

Reporter
"Is assistance tantamount to forcing women on an electorate?"

Debra Lewis, Consultant
"I don't think it's that set at all. Right now we can argue that our system forces men on the electorate. Really it's a way of really making our democracy better because what the study shows that there are actually concrete barriers to women's participation in the political process."

Jules Vasquez
"My experience is that women enter conventions - women lose. It's the will of the voters - they can vote freely and women enter these conventions and lose."

Debra Lewis, Consultant
"There us freely and there is freely - there are a lot of barriers, so it's really important to look at the barriers and all of those stages to determine whether we really do have a level playing field for women and men and the research shows that in fact we don't."

Jules Vasquez
"It's a man's world which means often times that many systems are corrupt and run on a corrupt basis and perhaps that is why women are: A) alienated from the process B) systematically excluded because many times women are not as comfortable in engaging in corruption as men are."

Ann-Marie Williams
"That is true and that's why I said we need to get involve to help to inject the change that is necessary. Changes are never overnight; we just can't lie down and die."

Debra Lewis, Consultant
"Women told me that absolutely one of the reasons that they don't either get involve or sometimes get involve and are successful and leave, decide not to run again for example - is because they don't want to be in a position where their personal integrity is being compromise, they are not willing to participate in a system where the kind of unethical and kind of dealings that often go on - go on and so they just make a decision to leave."

Ann-Marie Williams
"This is why we need to raise a critical mass of women. We need to put the different group in place to help to support women. I am working for the generations to come and trust me it will come but it won't come if we just lie down and die - we need to fight."

The analysis includes a list of detailed recommendations for civil society, government and political parties.

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