Parity Democracy

Women's Political Representation in Fifth Republic France

By Jocelyne Praud & Sandrine Dauphin
Categories: Gender & Sexuality Studies, Women’s Studies, Political Science, International Political Science
Publisher: UBC Press
Hardcover : 9780774819435, 204 pages, November 2010
Paperback : 9780774819442, 204 pages, July 2011
Ebook (PDF) : 9780774819459, 204 pages, January 2011
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Table of contents

Introduction

1 French Women’s Struggle for Political Rights and Parity

Part 1: Interviews with Parity Advocates and
Critics

2 Women’s New Cause: Gisèle Halimi

3 Equality in Difference: Monique Dental

4 Equality in the Political Sphere: Sylvie Ulrich

5 Favouring Equality of Opportunity in Politics: Michèle
Alliot-Marie

6 A Voluntarist Measure to Achieve Equality: Roselyne
Bachelot-Narquin

7 An Extraordinay Measure to Overcome Men’s Extraordinary
Resistance: Yvette Roudy

8 A Tool for Equality: Geneviève Fraisse

9 Affirmative Action Rather than Parity: Christine Delphy

10 Institutionalizing the Division of the Sexes: Eleni Varikas

Part 2: Founding Documents on Gender Parity in
Politics

11 Declaration of Athens, 3 November 1992

12 Manifesto of the 577 for Parity Democracy, 10 November 1993

13 Decree No. 95-1114 on the Creation of an Observatoire de la
Parité entre les Femmes et les Hommes, 18 October 1995

14 Charter of Rome, 18 May 1996

15 Manifesto of the Ten for Parity, 6 June 1996

16 Constitutional Law No. 99-569 on Equality between Women and Men,
8 July 1999

17 Law No. 2000-493 to Favour Women’s and Men’s Equal
Access to Elected Office, 6 June 2000

18 Constitutional Law No. 2008-724 on the Modernization of the
Institutions of the Fifth Republic, 23 July 2008

Conclusion

Appendix 1: Chronology on French Women’s Struggle for
Political Rights

Appendix 2: Interview Guide

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Parity Democracy explores the evolution and influence of
France’s gender parity reforms, from their historical roots to
their recent extension beyond the electoral sphere.

Description

In 1999 and 2000, France adopted laws to ensure equal access to elected
office for women and men. Parity Democracy explores the
evolution and influence of France’s gender parity reforms, from
their historical roots to their recent extension beyond the electoral
sphere. Drawing on extensive interviews, as well as on European and
French legal documents, Praud and Dauphin show that although these
reforms have not dramatically boosted women’s representation in
the National Assembly, they have set in motion a process of
feminization in the electoral sphere that bodes well for the future of
parity democracy.