Mind the Gap: Gender Disparity in Ivorian Politics
Cote d’Ivoire has come to the end of a lengthy electoral cycle that saw it undertake fractious presidential polls in October of last year and parliamentary elections in the first week of March 2021. In both, the representation of women was extremely poor, despite newly enacted legislation that is aimed at raising the number of women on the political scene.
Significance – Legal requirements are not enough
In October, none of the four approved presidential election candidates were female[1] and for the legislatives, female candidates made up 14.6% of the 1587 candidates. Provisional results show that 11% of the 255 seats were won by women, the same number as in the previous parliament. This is all despite the 2019 passage of a law with the express aim of improving female representation in politics, primarily by requiring 30% of a party’s candidate list to be female and offering extra funding for parties that surpass 50%.
There is also the perception that women who do hold elected office in Cote d’Ivoire are limited to positions linked to women’s and/or children’s affairs. An example would be Mrs Mariatou Kone, she holds a doctorate in anthropology and is also Minister of Women and Children’s protection. Whilst this is not exclusively true (Kaba Niale currently serves as Minister of Planning & Development and has previously headed the Ministry of Economy and Finance), it has influenced women seeking to enter politics. Speaking with a young woman who had previously worked with a local candidate and considered getting involved herself, she told us: “I feel that such a small amount of my potential would be used even if I were to win election that it wouldn’t be worth the stress I’d endure. I’m lucky in that I’m young and have time for the situation to improve.”
Relationships provide a route into politics. Of the 28 female MPs, a disproportionate number are made up of the relations of other political figures e.g., the daughter and goddaughter of Felix Houphet Boigny and the wife of a vice president of the PDCI. They also hold a level of educational attainment far in excess of much of the population. Where formation is available, only 2 female deputies do not hold a degree and around two thirds hold a master’s degree. A small portion have studied (primarily at postgraduate level) in France – according to recent estimates 7% of women and 11% of men attend higher education.
Outlook – Opening paths to participation
It is clear that laws seeking to boost female participation in politics are poorly implemented and are not having the desired effect. This may be partially because laws speak to female candidacy and not to female participation. Furthermore, no sanctions are applied to parties failing to meet the 30% threshold. There may also be an opportunity to address this by:
reducing filing fees for female candidates (campaign funding is often cited as a barrier to entry)
like Liberia, dedicating a specific number of seats to female candidates
assisting parties in creating internal structures designed for women.
[1] 40 candidates had their applications thrown out and only 3 were female.
Photo credit: Unsplash
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