GEORGIA: European Jumbo of Women's Political Participation

On October 1st parliamentary elections will be held in Georgia. Currently there are only 6.6 percent women representatives in the Georgian parliament, the lowest number in all of Europe.To achieve long-term stability in Georgia, it is crucial to include more women in the decision-making processes, says Alla Gamakharia from the women and peace organization Cultural-Humanitarian Fund Sukhumi, based in Kutaisi.

Between 2006 and 2011 Georgia fell from place 59 to place 120 in The Global Gender Gap Index concerning women's political participation. To reverse this negative trend, the Georgian government in December 2011 adopted a law amendment stating that the stately support to political parties will be increased if they have at least 20 percent women candidates on their party lists.
But this seems to have had little impact on the biggest rivals in the upcoming election. President Saakashvili's party, United National Movement has 10.9 percent women among its candidates and billionaire Bidzina Ivanisjvilis party, The Georgian Dream (Kartuli Otsneba), has 16.5 percent.

Patriarchal norms and nepotism

The Georgian society is characterized by both patriarchal norms and nepotism. This drastically reduces the possibility of getting into politics without having an influential family behind you, especially if you're a women. Discrimination against women is widespread and embedded in social structures, which limits the opportunities for women to pursue careers and participate in politics. Issues of gender equality and women's rights are not high on the political agenda.

For Alla Gamakharia there is a clear relationship between the low percentage of women in parliament and other problem's in Georgian society.

A low representation of women leads to marginalization of issues concerning women's situation in the country, which leads to inequality, human rights violations and social imbalances, says Alla Gamakharia.

International discussions important

Within the framework of the EU's Eastern Partnership – which includes the EU and its six Eastern neighbors Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus – Georgia has committed itself to respecting the EU's common values, including democracy and human rights. A commitment that, according to Lika Naidaraia from the Georgian women and peace organization Women's Political Resource Centre, WPRC, could be crucial for future development in Georgia. She underlines the importance of the EU and the international community highlighting gender equality in political decision-making, when meeting with representatives of the Georgian government.