Women’s leadership and access to decision-making Tam O’Neil, ODI CARE Governance Meeting, 11 November 2015

Structure of the presentation 1.Our research questions 2.Headline messages 3.Key concepts 4.Findings – enablers of women and girls’ decision-making power, and explaining variation 5.Findings – working politically to advance gender equality 6.International support for women’s decision-making power 3

Project overview Research questions 1.What enables women to have substantive voice and leadership in decision-making processes? 2.Does women’s leadership advance gender equality? 3.How can international actors better support women’s decision-making power? A key area of interest is the linkages between women’s political, social and economic resources and power. 4

Headline messages More women now participate in public life across all regions Women MPs: 11.3% (1995) >> 22% (2015) Women in judiciary: 27% (2011) Women labour force participation: 50% (2013) But men dominate decision-making positions, esp. those with most power Heads of state: 8% (2015) Cabinet members: regional averages between 8% and 28% (2013) CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies (4.8%) (2015) Mayors (5%) (2013) Poor/excluded women face particularly entrenched barriers to private and public decision-making power at all levels. 5

Leadership is the individual and collective capabilities to mobilise ‘people and resources in pursuit of particular ends’ (Lynne de Ver, 2012). Leadership involves the ability to influence the ideas and behaviour of others and is effective when it translates into outcomes. Leadership may or may not coincide with formal positions. Source: Tam O’Neil and Pilar Domingo (2015) “The Power to Decide: Women, Decision-Making and Gender Equality’. ODI Briefing

Decision-making power is the ability to influence decisions that affect one’s life – both private and public. Decision-making power is the composite of access, capabilities and actions that shape whether women have influence over the polity or private decisions. Having influence with, over and through people and processes is therefore central to both leadership and decision-making power. Source: Tam O’Neil and Pilar Domingo (2015) “The Power to Decide: Women, Decision-Making and Gender Equality’. ODI Briefing

Enablers of women’s decision-making power Capabilities and experiences Social, political economic structures Rules, norms and ideas Access to (and actions within) and decision- making processes Formal rules Civil and political rights Gender-sensitive constitutions/laws (e.g. family law, VAW) Democratic decentralisation Quotas Informal norms More equitable gender norms Structural factors Socially constructed categories, ascribed characteristics, e.g. gender, race, ethnicity Urbanisation Economy and labour market Demography Conflict Capabilities (Higher) education Political skills and experience Family enviornment Economic assets Social capital/networks, including women organising with women Critical consciousness and self belief Direct (e.g. formal positions) or indirect (external participation) in processes/forums where women influence decisions that affect their lives, e.g. Household Community Local / national govt Civil society – CBOs, business, associations Peace negotiations Constitutional reform processes

In the same society or community, different women and girls have different capabilities or decision-making power.

Explaining variation in women’s capabilities and power Contextual factors 2. Gendered factors 3. Individual factors Everyone Women Particular groups of women and men 1. How structures and institutions that affect everyone in a society 2. How structures and institutions are gendered, and affect men and women differently 3. How structures and institutions are shaped by other characteristics and affect different women and men differently

We must look at the interactions between structures, institutions and capabilities to explain which women have power and why. This is the political economy of women’s decision-making power.

The political economy of women’s decision-making and leadership Women’s decision-making power (incl. to reshape rules) Capabilities and experiences Gender and other power relations Social, political economic structures Rules, norms and ideas Women’s access to and influence over decision- making

There is no set recipe for the empowerment of women and girls. How the main ingredients fit together will depend on context and the objective.

Thinking politically to advance gender equality Understanding the political economy of women’s decision-making power. Q: In this context, how does the interaction of structures and institutions influence the capabilities and interests of different groups of women (and men) and their access to decision-making? 14

Working politically to advance gender equality Understanding how women can further their interests, and advance more equitable gender norms Q: Given prevailing power and interests structures, what are the opportunities for women to advance their interests and what strategies might they use. 15

International support for women’s leadership 1.What do women need? Focus/content of programmes Direct support – to capabilities, legal change, women’s movements Indirect support – through education and economic empowerment. 2. How best to provide support? Ways of working Be clear about the objective Be locally led, problem driven and adaptive Design multi-dimensional programmes Make connections between thematic areas/sectors Do no harm 16