Women as Agents of Change : Having Voice in Society and Influencing Policy

The World Bank's World Development Report (WDR) on gender equality and development identified women's voice, agency, and participation as a key dimension of gender equality and as a major policy priority. Agency, as defined in the WDR2012, is the ability to use endowments to take advantage of opportunities to achieve desired outcomes. In particular, WDR2012 focused on five expressions of agency: women's access to and control over resources; freedom of movement; freedom from the risk of violence; decision-making over family formation; and having voice in society and influencing policy. An important expression of women's agency is women's political participation and their ability to fully engage in public life. This background paper focuses on women s ability to play a public role in politics and to influence policy-making. Using the data available, it examines the current status of women in politics and makes the case for the full and equitable participation of women in public life. It reviews the direct and indirect barriers that exist to prevent women's political participation and analyzes strategies that have been used to increase it. Finally, the paper identifies the connections between the five expressions of agency and priorities for future work.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Markham, Susan
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2013
Subjects:	ACCESS TO RESOURCES, ACHIEVEMENT OF GENDER EQUALITY, ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN, ADVOCACY, ARMED CONFLICT, BARRIERS TO WOMEN, BIRTH CERTIFICATE, CABINET, CABINETS, CANDIDATES, CAPACITY OF WOMEN, CAREGIVERS, CIVIL SOCIETY, CONFLICT RESOLUTION, CONSTITUENCIES, CONSTITUENCY, DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES, DEMOCRACY, DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN, ECONOMICS, EDUCATION EXPENDITURES, ELECTION, ELECTIONS, ELECTORAL PROCESS, ELECTORAL PROCESSES, ELECTORAL SYSTEM, ELECTORAL SYSTEMS, EMERGING DEMOCRACIES, EMPOWERMENT, EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN, EQUAL PAY, EXECUTIVE BRANCH, FAMILIES, FEMALE, FEMALE CANDIDATE, FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION, FRANCHISE, GENDER, GENDER ANALYSIS, GENDER AWARENESS, GENDER BIAS, GENDER BIASES, GENDER EQUALITY, GENDER EQUITY, GENDER GAP, GENDER INEQUALITY, GENDER NORMS, GENDER PERSPECTIVE, GENDER QUOTAS, GENDER RELATIONS, GENDER ROLES, GENDER STEREOTYPES, GOOD GOVERNANCE, GOVERNANCE ISSUES, GOVERNMENT MINISTERS, HEALTH CARE LAW, HOME, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS, HUSBAND, INHERITANCE, INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES, INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT, INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, INTERVENTIONS, LABOR LAWS, LAW ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, LAWS, LEGISLATION, LEGISLATIVE BODIES, LEGISLATOR, LEGISLATORS, LOCAL WOMEN, MATERNITY LEAVE, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, MONARCHS, MP, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, PARLIAMENT, PARLIAMENTARIANS, PARLIAMENTS, PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN, PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICS, PEACE, PENSIONS, POLICY ISSUES, POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, POLITICAL LEADERS, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, POLITICAL PARTIES, POLITICAL PARTY, POLITICAL POWER, POLITICAL PROCESSES, POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITIES, POLITICAL SYSTEM, POVERTY ALLEVIATION, POWER OF WOMEN, PRIME MINISTER, PROPORTION OF WOMEN, PUBLIC LIFE, PUBLIC OPINION, PUBLIC ROLES, REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN, REPRESENTATIVES, RIGHTS OF WOMEN, ROLE OF WOMEN, SANCTIONS, SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, SCHOOLS, SOCIAL ISSUES, SOCIOLOGY, STATUS OF WOMEN, SUFFRAGE, UNDP, UNICEF, UNITED NATIONS, UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, VOTER TURNOUT, WILL, WOMAN, WOMEN CANDIDATES, WOMEN HEADS OF STATE, WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, WOMEN IN POLITICS, WOMEN IN PUBLIC LIFE, WOMEN LEADERS, WOMEN LEGISLATORS, WOMEN MAYORS, WOMENAPOS;S ISSUES, WORKING MOTHERS, YOUNG WOMEN, YOUTH,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/20432425/women-agents-change-having-voice-society-influencing-policy https://hdl.handle.net/10986/21031
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