Bringing Women’s Issues to the Legislative Agenda: Gender, Bill Sponsorship and Participation

AbstractThis article outlines the pattern of women's participation in the Canadian parliamentary system. The question of interest is whether female members of the House of Commons make a difference in politics and, notably, if they substantively represent women. The basic underlying hypothesis is that women in the Canadian House of Commons make a difference, that is to say, they substantively represent women. However, the impact of women in politics is limited: they do indeed make a difference, but not a drastic one. In this sense, women try to shape the legislative agenda and the legislative discourse in order to promote women's issues more than do men, but their activity in favour of women's concerns remains quite limited from a numerical point of view. To achieve effective results in this study, two methods were employed: a survey given to members of the 35th Canadian Parliament, and a content analysis of the Hansard Index of the House of Commons. Overall, the results presented here provide some support for the substantive argument. On the question of whether women members of the House of Commons make a difference in politics, and, significantly, if they substantively represent women, the answer is generally positive, although it is necessary to qualify this response. Both female and male MPs speak and act to support women's issues in the House of Commons, but these activities remain quantitatively marginal. However, on each aspect considered, the group of female MPs were proportionately more involved in women's issues than their male counterparts.

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EKSISTENSI PEREMPUAN PADA LEMBAGA POLITIK FORMAL DALAM MEWUJUDKAN KESETARAAN GENDER (Studi Terhadap Anggota Legislatif di Provinsi Riau)

Marwah Jurnal Perempuan Agama dan Jender ◽

10.24014/marwah.v14i2.2629 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 254

Author(s):

Jumni Nelli

Keyword(s):

Special Needs ◽

Gender Equality ◽

Gender Mainstreaming ◽

Women In Politics ◽

Women's Issues ◽

Women Legislators ◽

Women's Representation ◽

Representation Of Women ◽

Women’S Representation ◽

Legislative Agenda

The involvement of women in politics is important, because women have special needs that can only be understood best by the women themselves. If the women's problems is entrusted to the representatives who do not have the perspective of a female problem, it is almost certain that the policy issued is not sensitive to women's issues. Currently the representation of women is still low, not least in the province of Riau. But the low or lack of women's representation in the legislative agenda does not mean the strengthening of gender equality or gender mainstreaming (PUG) neglected. Interesting traced the existence of women legislators in Riau Province area totaling 18 people from 65 people to the Province, seven women sitting in Pekanbaru, and six women in Kampar truly representative of women in the province of Riau. The study concluded Women legislators in Riau Province is very sensitive and understand the problems and issues of gender/women, but because there is still minimal cause many obstacles encountered in achieving gender equality.

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Working Mothers Represent: How Children Affect the Legislative Agenda of Women in Congress

American Politics Research ◽

10.1177/1532673x18808037 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 447-470 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lisa A. Bryant ◽

Julia Marin Hellwege

Keyword(s):

Adult Children ◽

Working Mothers ◽

Children's Health ◽

Children’S Health ◽

Women's Issues ◽

Children And Families ◽

Parents And Children ◽

Legislative Agenda ◽

At Home

Issues and policies pertaining to children and families are often labeled “women’s issues” and assumed to be on the radar of all women, but we argue that they are more salient for mothers, particularly working mothers, than for other women. This study examines the role of motherhood as an identity for women in Congress by looking at the introduction of bills that affect children and families from 1973 through 2013. We define working mothers as women who have children below 18 years of age at home while they are in office, as opposed to those who have adult children or no children. Our findings show that Congressional working mothers are more likely to introduce legislation that address issues specific to parents and children. We also find that legislation specifically dealing with children’s health and welfare is more likely to be introduced by members with children than those without.

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Women’s Issues and Their Fates in the US Congress

Political Science Research and Methods ◽

10.1017/psrm.2016.32 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 679-696 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Craig Volden ◽

Alan E. Wiseman ◽

Dana E. Wittmer

Keyword(s):

House Of Representatives ◽

Women's Issues ◽

Success Rates ◽

Us Congress ◽

Bill Sponsorship ◽

The Us ◽

Female Legislators ◽

Over 40 Years ◽

Over Time

Significant scholarship indicates that female legislators focus their attention on “women’s issues” to a greater extent than do male lawmakers. Drawing on over 40 years of bill sponsorship data from the US House of Representatives, we define women’s issues in terms of those sponsored at a greater rate by women in Congress. Our analysis reveals that most (but not all) of the classically considered women’s issues are indeed raised at an enhanced rate by congresswomen. We then track the fate of those issues. While 4 percent of all bills become law, that rate drops to 2 percent for women’s issues and to only 1 percent for women’s issue bills sponsored by women themselves. This pattern persists over time—from the early 1970s through today—and upon controlling for other factors that influence bills success rates. We link the bias against women’s issues to the committee process, and suggest several avenues for further research.

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Incorporation is Not Enough: The Agenda Influence of Black Lawmakers in Congressional Committees

The Journal of Race Ethnicity and Politics ◽

10.1017/rep.2020.18 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-37

Author(s):

Periloux C. Peay

Keyword(s):

Agenda Setting ◽

Bill Sponsorship ◽

Congressional Committees ◽

Congressional Black Caucus ◽

Legislative Agenda ◽

Black Caucus ◽

Institutional Resources ◽

Institutional Forces ◽

Key Issues ◽

Areas Of Interest

Abstract Traditionally, scholars argue that the committee structure is central to the policymaking process in congress, and that those that wield the gavel in committees enjoy a great deal of influence over the legislative agenda. The most recent iterations of Congress are more diverse than ever before. With 55 members—of whom, five chair full committees and 28 sit atop subcommittees—the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is in a place to wield a significant leverage over the legislative agenda in the 116th Congress. However, noticeable proportional gains in minority membership in Congress have yet to produce sizable policy gains for the communities they represent. An examination of bill sponsorship from the 103rd–112th congresses reveals underlying institutional forces—i.e., marginalization and negative agenda setting—leave Black lawmakers at a distinct disadvantage compared to their non-black counterparts. Bills in policy areas targeted by the CBC are subject to disproportionate winnowing in congressional committees. Unfortunately, a number of institutional resources often found to increase a bill's prospects—including placements and leadership on committees with jurisdiction over policy areas of interest—are relatively ineffective for CBC members looking to forward those key issues onto the legislative agenda.

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