Women's political representation in Sweden and in France. Comparative study

Résumé du document

One of the topmost priorities of the European Union is the equal participation of men and women in the decision-making process. However, differences do exist within the EU regarding women's representation. Among the EU nations, Sweden holds the highest rate of female deputies in the Riksdag, which is the national legislative assembly of the country. Sweden ranks second in the world after Rwanda. France is placed at the 65th place and is one of the last ranked countries in Europe in the sphere of women's representation along with Greece.

Extraits

[...] Since today, the French parity law was the first of this kind with countries containing quotas never going further than 33%. Parity, however; requires an equal number of men and women on the electoral lists. As defined in the Guide de la parité by the Union Féminine Civique et Sociale, there is a wide difference between quotas and parity. Parity is the claim of equality between the sexes in political representation, where as quotas are just a way to reach this objective. The women/men parity is the application of a principle, not a percentage. [...]

[...] We can indeed notice very dissimilar commitments to equality that are embedded in our political cultures and shape our systems of representation”, a major characteristic that Christina Bergqvist and Sue Findlay emphasise[4]. This “passion for equality” existing in Sweden was a great basis for a public debate around women's political equality, and might simply explain the greater effectiveness of Swedish policies. According to Maud L. Edwards, equity and equality are indeed “probably the most basic values in Sweden- and Nordic- political culture”. [...]

[...] Parity and quotas can not be critized in their aim, but in the way they are. They constitute for me an ideal, but hard to implement. However, drastic measures could not be avoided given the situation. Perhaps France just need time to reach the Swedish level. This will nevertheless not happen unless French people feel more concerned, at least as much as in Sweden. It is a question of mentalities. To conclude, I might suggest that the debate around women's contribution to politics is wider. It implies the quality of representative democracy itself. [...]

[...] And finally, we must believe in giving women a real chance to access political power, without being considered as beneficiaries of quotas requirements. [...]

[...] On the other hand this issue was at the top of the political agenda in Sweden. Bergqvist and Findlay analyze, in “Representing women's interests in the policy process: women's organizing and state initiatives in Sweden and Canada, 1960-1990s”[12], strategies set by women alliances within political parties and elected bodies to increase women's influence in decision-making policies. She calls this kind of internal action “women acting as ‘insiders'”, (working within the existing parties.) In the 1990's, Bergqvist rather considers that women became “outsiders”.[13] Indeed, the idea that the best way to influence the political process was an increasing participation in political parties reached the top of women's aspiration. [...]