What to Expect when Expecting Equality

A report on gender policy in political parties

This paper offers a comparative analysis of gender policies proposed by liberal, conservative and social democratic parties. Parties in Ireland, South Africa, Canada, and Sweden have been selected. The aim is not to rank the policies, but to illustrate how distinct parties and ideologies approach the same task – achieving gender equality – differently. The paper does not examine whether the promised policies have been enacted. Instead, it focuses on the language employed, the values reflected, the areas of concern, and the domains that have been ‘invisibilized’ or ignored.

Employing the method of content analysis, the report broadly shows how liberal parties work towards increased transparency in appointment processes and replacing inefficient ministries to achieve more equal representation for marginalized individuals. Social democrats often tend to route for more state intervention in terms of reforms and favoring quotas while conservatives place family values in the center of attention.

Whilst great progress has been made, full gender equality has yet to be realized. Recognizing that gender equality is fundamentally a human rights issue, there can be no rest until it is achieved. In a world of sanctioned misogyny, violence, fear, and social rollbacks, it appears the democratic promise for all citizens is under threat. Fascism and sexism go hand in hand. As gatekeepers of both legislative and social change, it is therefore vital that democratic parties from the left and the right define and undertake the policy work crucial to securing gender equality.

The report was written by Holly Dunham-Dye in cooperation with the Swedish International Liberal Centre. Holly produced the report in connection to her internship at SILC.

A version of the report is uploaded for you to read here: Whattoexpectwhenexpectingequality