Local government is directly
responsible for meeting
concrete community needs,
which seek attention for the
separate needs of both
sides, men and women at
the community level.i
On the one side, it emphasizes the need for balanced gender representation in the local government
structures. On the other
hand, it emphasizes the
need for establishing such
mechanisms where women too are participants
(E.g. local government
commissions may be
established for gender
equality issues. There is an
experience of this in Fier. Or,
these issues may be
addressed at every commission of the local government). In order to achieve
this, there is a need to
involve both sides, men and
women from the entire
community, in the local
government structures.
Although very few women
are running in these
elections (a total of 17 from
all political parties) for
chairwomen of municipalities and communes, we
are still in time to select
more women for the municipal councils, referring to
the electoral lists submitted
by the political parties.
The balanced representation of both sides in the local
government councils is
indispensable as women
and men, through their
knowledge, can inform
about the conditions of a
community and may influence decision taking and
policy drafting. In order to
illustrate this, we may
mention the ma-nagement
of social, health, etc., services of the commu-nities,
which is a very important
element of work in local
govern-ment. It is
known that women
take care of children,
the elderly and the
sick. This makes
them possess spcial
knowledge about finding the most effective ways to ensure
these kinds of services. However, this
knowledge needs to
be recognized and
taken into consideration
by
decision-takers in
the process of policy
drafting. That is,
women should be
present in the places
where policies are
drafted so that they
may give their views
and suggestions about the
drafts. This, in turn, makes
the increase of the number
of women in local government structures indispensable.
However, even if we were to
analyze some kinds of
services that are considered
mainly “for males,” such as
planning, housing and
transportation, we would
explain that the role of
women is very great and
useful in the correct solution
of problems in this field as
well. Women are the most
tied to housework and its
organization. Because they
take care of the family as a
whole, they feel more the
need for a better coordination of buil-ding a house
near to where the services
are or vice-versa. They
possess specific knowledge and needs
GENDER BALANCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WHY
AND HOW?
Lavdie Ruci
Gender expert
No. 27
November 2003
Eighth year of
publication
Published by:
SOROS
Women´s Centre
Tirana
ADDRESS:
RR. ABDYL FRASHËRI,
P. 10/1, AP. 3, TIRANË
P.O.BOX: 2418
CONSULTANTS
Valdet Sala
Delina Fico
Silvana Miria
Eglantina Gjermeni
Sonila Qirjaku
In this number you will
find:
Gender balance in local
government, why & how?
Increasing the role of
women in decision
taking
Minority Issues seen
from the Gender
Perspective
Position of the Roma
Women in Albania
Gender training
courses and
collaborations of the
Women’s Center, 2003
Gender
and
Agriculture
A Toolbox for Women´s
Empowerment
Documentation
and
Information Center
Press monitoring on
domestic violence, 2001
& 2002
Strengthening the
Capacity of the
Counseling Center for
Women and Girls
1
3
4
4
6
7
8
9
10
11
Newsletter
Newsletter Newsletter
Newsletter Newsletter
Women’s Centre -Tirana
Www.women-center.org.al
Tel./ Fax: +355 42 55515
Tel.: +355 42 55514
Email: info@womencenter.tirana.al
tina@womencenter.tirana.al
Published every four months
Newsletter
Newsletter Newsletter
Newsletter Newsletter
responsible for meeting
concrete community needs,
which seek attention for the
separate needs of both
sides, men and women at
the community level.i
On the one side, it emphasizes the need for balanced gender representation in the local government
structures. On the other
hand, it emphasizes the
need for establishing such
mechanisms where women too are participants
(E.g. local government
commissions may be
established for gender
equality issues. There is an
experience of this in Fier. Or,
these issues may be
addressed at every commission of the local government). In order to achieve
this, there is a need to
involve both sides, men and
women from the entire
community, in the local
government structures.
Although very few women
are running in these
elections (a total of 17 from
all political parties) for
chairwomen of municipalities and communes, we
are still in time to select
more women for the municipal councils, referring to
the electoral lists submitted
by the political parties.
The balanced representation of both sides in the local
government councils is
indispensable as women
and men, through their
knowledge, can inform
about the conditions of a
community and may influence decision taking and
policy drafting. In order to
illustrate this, we may
mention the ma-nagement
of social, health, etc., services of the commu-nities,
which is a very important
element of work in local
govern-ment. It is
known that women
take care of children,
the elderly and the
sick. This makes
them possess spcial
knowledge about finding the most effective ways to ensure
these kinds of services. However, this
knowledge needs to
be recognized and
taken into consideration
by
decision-takers in
the process of policy
drafting. That is,
women should be
present in the places
where policies are
drafted so that they
may give their views
and suggestions about the
drafts. This, in turn, makes
the increase of the number
of women in local government structures indispensable.
However, even if we were to
analyze some kinds of
services that are considered
mainly “for males,” such as
planning, housing and
transportation, we would
explain that the role of
women is very great and
useful in the correct solution
of problems in this field as
well. Women are the most
tied to housework and its
organization. Because they
take care of the family as a
whole, they feel more the
need for a better coordination of buil-ding a house
near to where the services
are or vice-versa. They
possess specific knowledge and needs
GENDER BALANCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WHY
AND HOW?
Lavdie Ruci
Gender expert
No. 27
November 2003
Eighth year of
publication
Published by:
SOROS
Women´s Centre
Tirana
ADDRESS:
RR. ABDYL FRASHËRI,
P. 10/1, AP. 3, TIRANË
P.O.BOX: 2418
CONSULTANTS
Valdet Sala
Delina Fico
Silvana Miria
Eglantina Gjermeni
Sonila Qirjaku
In this number you will
find:
Gender balance in local
government, why & how?
Increasing the role of
women in decision
taking
Minority Issues seen
from the Gender
Perspective
Position of the Roma
Women in Albania
Gender training
courses and
collaborations of the
Women’s Center, 2003
Gender
and
Agriculture
A Toolbox for Women´s
Empowerment
Documentation
and
Information Center
Press monitoring on
domestic violence, 2001
& 2002
Strengthening the
Capacity of the
Counseling Center for
Women and Girls
1
3
4
4
6
7
8
9
10
11
Newsletter
Newsletter Newsletter
Newsletter Newsletter
Women’s Centre -Tirana
Www.women-center.org.al
Tel./ Fax: +355 42 55515
Tel.: +355 42 55514
Email: info@womencenter.tirana.al
tina@womencenter.tirana.al
Published every four months
Newsletter
Newsletter Newsletter
Newsletter Newsletter