Women's Participation
OverviewNDI is committed to promoting the equitable participation of women in politics and government. Comprising over 50 percent of the world's population, women continue to be under-represented as voters, political leaders and as elected officials Support for increased participation of women in political and civic leadership is consistent with NDI's mandate to strengthen the inclusive nature and representative character of democratic institutions worldwide. The participation of women is an essential element in the design and implementation of all our programs.
NDI helps women acquire the tools to engage in the political process. Our programs help create an environment in which women can advocate on matters of policy, run for political office, be elected, govern effectively, and participate meaningfully in every facet of civic and political life.
NDI Programs
Civic Education and Advocacy
NDI helps to educate and motivate women to participate in the political process. Although many formal legal obstacles to women's political inclusion have been lifted, women often do not know their rights or understand that they have a role to play in shaping the policies that affect their lives. NDI helps women's and citizens' groups become more effective advocates on issues of concern to them, and to be significant contributors to public policy making.
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Political Party Strengthening
As an essential element of its political party strengthening programs, NDI works with party leaders and members to demonstrate the importance of recruiting women as voters, party workers and candidates, and to include women in the development of their organizational structures.
Political parties in many countries have patriarchal structures that rarely encourage the recruitment of women into leadership positions or as candidates onto party lists. Women often find their efforts to break into the political arena marginalized by their parties' failure to support their viability as candidates and to appeal to female voters. NDI enlists successful women politicians from both established and emerging democracies to teach women how to succeed in the political process—first as activists, then as leaders.
Assisting Women Candidates
Around the world, NDI's programs train thousands of women candidates in the essentials of campaign planning, message development, public speaking, media relations, fundraising, and campaign management to increase their viability, and help them win their races.
Armed with professional skills and able to compete on a leveled playing field, many NDI trainees have been elected to public office and more achieve victory at the polls each year. Because these leaders are often among the first women in their country to seek elective office, candidates are also encouraged to come together to form support groups and to teach and inspire each other and young people.
Training Elected Women Leaders
NDI helps to equip elected women leaders with the skills necessary to work effectively within deliberative bodies and political parties.
Once women gain elected office, they are frequently challenged by unfamiliar procedures and an unwelcome environment. They find their effectiveness as legislators limited by being marginalized, assigned to work on "women's issues," and viewed as tokens within the political establishment.
NDI provides these leaders with substantive skills in areas such as computer expertise, bill drafting, legislative procedures and comparative political systems. This increases their standing with both their colleagues and constituents and makes them more effective legislators. NDI also has helped organize Women's Caucuses in a number of parliaments around the world. These networks provide a much-needed venue in which women can come together across party lines, and have the added benefit of helping to ensure that issues of concern to women are addressed on the legislative agenda.
Outcomes
The involvement of women is an intrinsic element of every NDI program. NDI's targeted programs have assisted women and women's NGOs to make great strides in small ways, often with a huge impact on their society. Since 1985, NDI has organized programs in more than 50 countries specifically to increase the role of women as civic activists, voters, candidates, political party representatives and elected leaders, with the belief that as more women become politically involved, institutions will become more responsive to the needs of all citizens, including vulnerable populations of women and children.
Women around the world often face daunting challenges. NDI recognizes that women must be equal partners in the process of democratic development around the world. As activists and elected officials and constituents, the contributions of women are crucial to building a strong and vibrant society.
I am a product of NDI programs.
—Charity Ngilu, the first woman to stand as a major party's presidential candidate in Kenya, who became a powerful symbol in the efforts to increase the number of women in elected office.
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For further information on Women's Participation, please contact:
Kristin Haffert, Program Manager
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