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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The politics of empowerment: women in parliament
Author:Mac Gregor, Karen
Year:1999
Periodical:Indicator South Africa
Volume:16
Issue:3
Pages:26-33
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:parliamentary representation
women
politics
Abstract:Studies investigating the reasons for the world-wide variation in the number of women in parliaments show that the most influential factor is the type of electoral system a country uses. Since 1994, South Africa has employed the proportional representation electoral system, which allocates parliamentary seats to parties in direct proportion to the number of votes they earn. This system also allows parties to decide how many women they want on their lists. For the 1999 elections, every third place on the ANC national list was occupied by a woman and the number of female representatives in national parliament rose to 29.5 percent after the election. In the cabinet, President Thabo Mbeki has doubled the number of female ministers to 8 (out of 26) and the number of women holding deputy ministerial positions is 8 out of 13. The number of women in government departments has also been steadily increasing. However, in provincial parliaments, where the ANC appears to have applied its 30 percent quota less stringently, there remains a gender problem. Bibliogr., sum. (p. 7).
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