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In between letter and practice

Fall, Leila LU (2019) STVK12 20191
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Male dominance remains commonplace in institutional settings, including the political arena. In order to challenge the status quo, gender quotas have been applied in various parts of the world to increase the descriptive – or numerical - representation of women in decision-making bodies. In Senegal, a Parity Law was implemented in 2010, allowing women to enter parliament at a tremendous rate. Through a mixed-method, this case study investigates the extent of the gap between the law and the practice in the Senegalese National Assembly. Empirical data was collected during fieldwork in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Political actors and members of the civil society have been interviewed, and data on sessions held in the hemicycle compiled.... (More)
Male dominance remains commonplace in institutional settings, including the political arena. In order to challenge the status quo, gender quotas have been applied in various parts of the world to increase the descriptive – or numerical - representation of women in decision-making bodies. In Senegal, a Parity Law was implemented in 2010, allowing women to enter parliament at a tremendous rate. Through a mixed-method, this case study investigates the extent of the gap between the law and the practice in the Senegalese National Assembly. Empirical data was collected during fieldwork in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Political actors and members of the civil society have been interviewed, and data on sessions held in the hemicycle compiled. The study suggests the implication of informal institutions that influence the intended outcomes of the law, namely: absolute parity, equal participation in the political life, and equal access to mandates and functions between men and women. The findings disclose discrepancies between the aspiration of symmetrical gender relations that the law intends to enhance and the actual dynamics unfolding in parliament. Gender roles, strategical mechanisms, and distributional struggles have been identified as prevalent factors affecting the Parity Law’s expected outcomes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Fall, Leila LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20191
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Parity Law, informal institutions, formal institutions, gender dynamics, parliament, Senegal
language
English
id
8978194
date added to LUP
2019-09-06 09:12:34
date last changed
2019-09-06 09:12:34
@misc{8978194,
  abstract     = {{Male dominance remains commonplace in institutional settings, including the political arena. In order to challenge the status quo, gender quotas have been applied in various parts of the world to increase the descriptive – or numerical - representation of women in decision-making bodies. In Senegal, a Parity Law was implemented in 2010, allowing women to enter parliament at a tremendous rate. Through a mixed-method, this case study investigates the extent of the gap between the law and the practice in the Senegalese National Assembly. Empirical data was collected during fieldwork in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Political actors and members of the civil society have been interviewed, and data on sessions held in the hemicycle compiled. The study suggests the implication of informal institutions that influence the intended outcomes of the law, namely: absolute parity, equal participation in the political life, and equal access to mandates and functions between men and women. The findings disclose discrepancies between the aspiration of symmetrical gender relations that the law intends to enhance and the actual dynamics unfolding in parliament. Gender roles, strategical mechanisms, and distributional struggles have been identified as prevalent factors affecting the Parity Law’s expected outcomes.}},
  author       = {{Fall, Leila}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{In between letter and practice}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}