Visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, Maati Monjib, just published a new piece on the increase in women’s political participation in Morocco as a result of a new 12% local gender quota. His choice of title—”A Legislated Victory for Women“—underlines his point that the positive outcome of more women in office has more to do with legislating an image of openness than signaling a genuine increase in societal preference for women serving in public office. As Monjib points out, 98% of winning women candidates gained their seats through a reserved seat system; that is, they fared very poorly in regular districts where their seats were not guaranteed.
There are some who argue that these results prove that if gender quotas were never introduced women would still be overwhelmingly underrepresented in office. Quotas, therefore, are necessary tools for delivering basic political rights to women in patriarchal societies. While this point certainly stands on its own merit, the government’s decision to implement a quota system raises questions about the motives behind its desire to see more women in office.
One of the biggest stories to come out of the June 12 local elections was that Marrakech would have its first female mayor—Fatima Zahra Mansouri. Marrakech’s outgoing mayor was very unpopular and Mansouri’s new party (Authenticity and Modernity, or PAM) built an alliance to ensure that she would get elected mayor. The PAM, dubbed “the king’s party,” then proclaimed that Mansouri’s election signaled the advent of a “Modern Morocco.” Other examples of party leaders empowering women with actual decision-making powers within their own parties or public office remain lacking (an exception could be Morocco’s seven female cabinet ministers, but nearly all were chosen by the king or his close advisors, not the political class). In Morocco, carefully crafting a narrative of tolerance and women’s rights to project to the West—whose citizens are increasingly vacationing in places like Marrakesh—has taken priority over genuine empowerment. Façade reforms, which fail to affect the overall patriarchal political dynamics or culture, should be labeled as such.
Make no mistake, giving women a greater presence in public office is a good thing, but gender quotas should not serve as measure which takes the pressure off ruling (male) elites. When international organizations and democracy promoters alike tout gender quotas as a quick solution, or use the number of women serving in elected bodies as indicators of empowerment, they are undermining those activists who recognize that they still have a long way to go.
Published Date: October 08, 2009