Localising Global Norms: The Case of Family-Friendly Parliaments

Palmieri, Sonia; Baker, Kerryn

doi:10.1093/pa/gsaa050

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…In line with the work of Acharya (2004) and Wiener (2018), we argue that a second requirement of norm localisation involves a form of contestation (as either an objection to or critical engagement with) the norm (see Palmieri & Baker, 2022). We now consider the extent to which both Samoa's gender quota and Fiji's gender mainstreaming requirement have been subject to contestation.…”

Section: Contested Norms In Samoa and Fiji?mentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Our question then is how are international norms localised in male-dominated parliaments and where there is an ongoing struggle between Western interpretations of democracy and local norms of traditional governance, including on the appropriate role of women in politics? This research differs from our previous work (see Palmieri & Baker, 2022) on two specific counts: (a) we take a comparative perspective rather than a single case study; and (b) we consider two different gender sensitive reforms rather than one (previously, family-friendly reforms in the Parliament of New Zealand). There is of course a significant limitation to our current approach-we are clearly not comparing like for like, nor are we able to dedicate the same level of in-depth analysis to each case.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…As researchers and practitioners in support of gender sensitive parliaments (GSPs), we have been interested in the relationship between international norms and the process by which these norms are localised within, and, thereby, transform individual parliaments. In a previous work (Palmieri & Baker, 2022), we argued that a range of international resolutions, research reports, and plans of action developed over successive decades related to GSPs now constitute a robust normative framework. This global framework sets out key principles by which parliaments can become model institutions for the advancement of gender equality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Power of Norms: Gender Equality Reforms in the Parliaments of Fiji and Samoa

Baker,

Palmieri

2024

PaG

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Parliaments are increasingly defined as “gendered institutions,” with rules, norms, and practices that are often stubbornly resistant to gender equality initiatives. The gender sensitive parliaments’ global agenda has made substantial progress in both drawing attention to the gendered nature of parliaments and in spearheading gender equality reform. While a positive trend, there remains a significant disconnect between the (global) normative framework that sets out this agenda and the realization of gender equality in national (local) parliaments. In this article, we build on previous work that begins to unpack and test the process of global norm localization through “contextualization” and “contestation.” We select new sites to test these processes—Fiji and Samoa—where specific gender equality reforms have been implemented in the past 10 years, one a gender mainstreaming mandate for parliamentary committees and the other a parliamentary gender quota. The Pacific Islands region presents an important cultural context worthy of exploration: Parliaments are not only overwhelmingly male-dominated, but many are also derivative of hegemonic masculinist cultures evident in the Westminster tradition, albeit hybridized with local political traditions. We compare and contrast the process by which these reforms were developed and implemented in each country and examine the extent to which they can be considered effective mechanisms for addressing gender inequalities. We find that the extent to which these reforms are sustainable and transformative depends on local contexts, local actors, and locally derived solutions. Specifically, the culturally relevant process of contesting the gender quota in Samoa constitutionally, electorally, and through the courts has localised and thereby legitimised this globally endorsed reform. By contrast, gender mainstreaming in Fiji’s parliamentary committees has been little more than a “tick-a-box” exercise, having had limited engagement from the political elite under a relatively autocratic regime.

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Section: Contested Norms In Samoa and Fiji?mentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Power of Norms: Gender Equality Reforms in the Parliaments of Fiji and Samoa

Baker,

Palmieri

2024

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“…Promoted by international organizations (Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, 2001;EIGE, 2019;OSCE, 2021;Palmieri, 2011;Smith, 2022), the concept of gender-sensitive parliaments is an emerging international norm that, according to Palmieri and Baker (2022), requires "localizing." Gender-sensitive parliaments have been defined differently over time, with Childs and Palmieri (2023, p. 177) providing the most recent and comprehensive one: "A gender sensitive parliament values and prioritizes gender equality as a social, economic, and political objective, and reorients and transforms their institutional culture, practice, and outputs towards those objectives."…”

Section: Gender-sensitive Parliaments In Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Parliament to Party: The Gender‐Sensitive Parliamentary Group

Ahrens,

Meier

2024

PaG

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Gender-sensitive parliaments are an emergent international norm. Research primarily focused on parliaments as gendered workplaces functioning with formal and informal rules and routines that either constrain or promote gender equality. We shift the focus to parliamentary groups and parties in public office as key actors in achieving a gender-sensitive parliament. We argue that they play a crucial role in many parliamentary systems and can actively contribute to gender-sensitive transformations. Building on the gender-sensitive parliament literature, we first explore the potential of parliamentary groups to improve parliamentary functioning across four aspects: representation, policy-making, engagement with societal interests, and groups as gender-sensitive workplaces. Secondly, we delve into the broader parliamentary and party contexts, recognizing how factors such as the diversity of parliamentary systems, organizational structures, parties in central office, and political dynamics shape parliamentary groups’ room for manoeuvre. We conclude by calling for further empirical, but especially conceptual, research to develop intersectionality-sensitive parliaments which we suggest are crucial for dismantling existing power hierarchies based on social markers.

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“…We do this by presenting our own role in the advocacy and design of specific changes, most notably towards the code of conduct, changes to the working conditions of ministerial staff, and the operation of the parliamentary chambers. We are motivated, in part, by a desire to contribute to the increasing body of literature that seeks to understand the catalysts behind gender-sensitive procedural reforms in parliament (Childs & Palmieri, 2023;Erikson & Josefsson, 2019;Erikson & Verge, 2022a;Palmieri & Baker, 2022;Palmieri & Freidenvall, 2024). While this literature has canvassed the role of international norms and the articulation of aspirational standards and practice, as well as the role of critical individuals and acts (or "shocks") within the institution of parliament, less work has focused on the role of outsiders to the parliamentary process, and specifically, the work of feminists in academic institutions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insiders and Outsiders: Feminists in the Academy Influencing Gender‐Sensitive Parliamentary Change

Barr,

Maley,

Palmieri

2024

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While the idea of a gender-sensitive parliament is over 20 years old (Childs & Palmieri, 2023), institutional reforms in the name of gender equality have been slow to materialise around the world. Where change has occurred, it appears to have been catalysed by a limited range of—sometimes confluent—factors including the public airing of allegations of sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era, the increasing salience of gender-sensitive parliament international norms, and the role of feminists in the academy. Celis and Childs (2020) identify feminist academic critical actors as those who rather than simply researching parliamentary change, explicitly undertake institutional (re)design and (re)building work (see also Childs, 2024). In this article, we uncover the work undertaken by feminists in an Australian academic institution to support the 2021 independent inquiry of the Australian Human Rights Commission into Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. This work—undertaken by the authors as both insiders and outsiders—informed the analysis and recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report, and since its launch, has also kept pressure on the various bodies entrusted with implementing gender-sensitive changes. We argue that feminists in the academy are uniquely positioned to navigate insider and outsider roles in support of gender-sensitive parliamentary reform.

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Localising Global Norms: The Case of Family-Friendly Parliaments

Cited by 9 publications

References 30 publications

The Power of Norms: Gender Equality Reforms in the Parliaments of Fiji and Samoa

The Power of Norms: Gender Equality Reforms in the Parliaments of Fiji and Samoa

From Parliament to Party: The Gender‐Sensitive Parliamentary Group

Insiders and Outsiders: Feminists in the Academy Influencing Gender‐Sensitive Parliamentary Change

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