Elected Women and Political Representation in Algeria

The main issues we want to address relate primarily to current events and the social and political changes taking place in Algeria concerning the representation of women. Who are the Algerian women elected to office? What are their professional backgrounds?

What is the state of women’s participation? How do elected women organize themselves to be able to exercise their rights and participate in decision-making? What strategies are implemented by political authorities to respond to women’s demands for full political equality and their integration into public life? How can the representation of women in legislative institutions take the form of “political presence,” according to Anne Philips’ idea [1]? Can a coexistence of the “politics of women’s presence” and the “politics of ideas defending women’s rights” exist?

However, it is necessary first to define what we mean by political equality between men and women. The study of legal texts that determine forms of equality is particularly significant in this regard. Constitutionally, political equality between men and women is guaranteed in Algeria. This consists of granting men and women the same rights: voting, candidacy for various positions, and formally giving them the same opportunity to participate in decision-making.

In the political sphere, the situation of women is often discussed in relation to religious and traditional considerations that tend to exclude them from the sphere of power and public life in general. Nevertheless, over the past few decades, voices have risen—even in conservative circles and within religious institutions—to allow women to assert their demands and participate, within the limits and rules permitted by Sharia, in political life. How can women’s access to political and parliamentary life be realized under these conditions? If political authorities and Islamist movements insist on the principle of political equality, how can the very low participation of women in elected assemblies be explained? How can the contradictions between the Islamists’ positions on women’s rights and their reservations, or even objections, regarding gender equality under Islamic law be explained?

Our study will be based on a survey of female parliamentarians to understand their role and impact in political life in general, and particularly in promoting gender equality and women’s rights.

We will also examine legislative initiatives undertaken by female parliamentarians, their engagement in parliamentary committees, and their active participation in parliamentary debates.

“The feminization of political staff could have considerable effects on political life by introducing concerns that traditional definitions of politics tend to exclude,” stated Bourdieu [2]. How is this in Egyptian and Moroccan societies? What do women do once they are in legislative institutions to address demands for justice, equality, and freedom? To what extent is their participation effective for society in general, and for women in particular?

The relationship between women’s activism and civil society is of great importance. We aim to consider female mobilization through various associations working on the ground for awareness campaigns and advocacy for their political and civil rights. The organization of numerous Arab and international conferences and meetings shows that civil society mobilization is significant. The demands and recommendations of Egyptian and Moroccan women reflect a strong awareness, which we aim to highlight by showing its scope and impacts.

Reference to the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women, addressed by various active feminist associations, especially regarding the chapter on women’s right to participate in power, shows that Algerian women’s activism draws on universal principles and solidarity that transcends borders. The appointment of women to several high-level positions previously reserved for men continues to grow; it also reflects a desire for change on the part of political authorities.

Methodology:

The Organic Law “setting the modalities for the expansion of women’s representation in elected assemblies,” adopted in Algeria in 2012, follows quota mechanisms used in several countries to increase women’s chances in political life.

The abundant literature in political science on political representation has, in recent years, given significant importance to the female dimension of political representation. Thus, the interest of our research is to identify social, cultural, and political differentiating factors that determine the place and role of elected women within the institutions they represent on one hand, and within society in general on the other.

This study will be based on self-administered questionnaires and direct interviews.

We will choose, as appropriate, qualitative interviews with female parliamentarians, which allows us on the one hand to ensure the degree of freedom for respondents (presence and form of questions) and, on the other, the depth of exchange (richness and complexity of answers) [3]. Interviews will also be conducted with political party leaders, presidents of municipal and provincial assemblies, and senior political officials.

[1] Philips Anne, (ed.) Feminism and Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1998.[2] Interview with Bourdieu, Libération, February 11, 1993.[3] Boutin, G, L’entretien de recherche qualitatif. Ste-Foy, 1997, Presses de l’Université du Québec.