OSCE Office supports study on the participation of female candidates in Armenia's parliamentary elections

YEREVAN, 15 November 2007 - An imperfect electoral process, gender stereotypes and a lack of political experience as well as financial resources put female political candidates at a disadvantage, according to an OSCE-supported study presented today in Yerevan.

Low self-esteem and traditional societal values also hinder women's participation in politics, according to the study, which recommends that political parties train women, non-governmental organizations work closer with women and that the existing quota of women in parties' candidate lists is increased to at least 25 percent.

"As a result of the last parliamentary elections, 9 percent of the MPs in the Armenian Parliament are women. This is an improvement, but it is of course not enough to ensure that the voice of the majority of the Armenian population - that is, women - is heard," said Sven Holdar, Democratization Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

The study analyzes women's status in the political sphere, their involvement in the election process, including the run-up and aftermath of the elections, as well as media coverage and other related issues.

Jemma Hasratyan, President of the Armenian Association of Women with University Education, added:

"Political participation is one of the basic principles of a democratic society. In this respect, gender balance and non-discrimination are indispensable in implementing the commitments of the international documents adopted by Armenia on the route to democratization. This independent research is aimed at stimulating women's participation in political processes."

Indifference of the political parties to develop women's resources, the insufficient role of the recently created women's councils in many political parties, and inadequate representation of women in the parliament compared to their contributions to the election campaigns were identified as problems that raise additional barriers for women to participate in Armenian party politics.

The research was conducted by the NGONGO
non-governmental organization Gender Studies Centre of the Armenian Association of Women with University Education with the support of the OSCE Office.

The OSCE Office works to promote women's active participation in political and economic life and help raise gender awareness in Armenia.

Hard copies of the research are available for distribution in three languages - Armenian, Russian and English. An electronic version is also available at //www.osce.org/yerevan .