Engendering Inclusive Politics: Gender Quotas in Morocco’s Legislatures
EPISODE 169
Engendering Inclusive Politics: Gender Quotas in Morocco’s Legislatures
In response to the February 20 movement, the Moroccan government passed electoral laws that institutionalized and expanded gender quotas at the national and local levels, enabling women to win an unprecedented number of seats in the 2015 and 2016 elections. In this podcast, Delana Sobhani examines how reserved seats in the House of Representatives and communal councils have affected women's substantive representation (i.e., the representation of their policy preferences and priorities). She has worked with Professor Hanane Darhour at Université Ibn Zohr and the National Democratic Institute to investigate whether gender quotas can empower women as visible citizens whose interests are included in their communities' legislative agendas.
Delana Sobhani received her BS in International Political Economy from Georgetown University in 2018. After working as a data analyst for two years, she pursued a Fulbright grant to study the nuanced impacts of gender quotas. Delana has worked with the Ibn Zohr University in Agadir and the National Democratic Institute in Rabat to examine the effects of reserved seats in Moroccan legislatures on women's representation.
This episode was recorded on June 11, 2021 at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM).
Recorded and edited in Tangier, by: Abdelbaar Mounadi Idrissi, Outreach Coordinator, TALIM.
In response to the February 20 movement, the Moroccan government passed electoral laws that institutionalized and expanded gender quotas at the national and local levels, enabling women to win an unprecedented number of seats in the 2015 and 2016 elections. In this podcast, Delana Sobhani examines how reserved seats in the House of Representatives and communal councils have affected women's substantive representation (i.e., the representation of their policy preferences and priorities). She has worked with Professor Hanane Darhour at Université Ibn Zohr and the National Democratic Institute to investigate whether gender quotas can empower women as visible citizens whose interests are included in their communities' legislative agendas.
Delana Sobhani received her BS in International Political Economy from Georgetown University in 2018. After working as a data analyst for two years, she pursued a Fulbright grant to study the nuanced impacts of gender quotas. Delana has worked with the Ibn Zohr University in Agadir and the National Democratic Institute in Rabat to examine the effects of reserved seats in Moroccan legislatures on women's representation.
This episode was recorded on June 11, 2021 at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM).
Suggested Readings
Castillejo, Clare and Helen Tilley. 2015. “The Road to Reform: Women’s Political Voice in Morocco.” https://odi.org/en/publications/the-road-to-reform-womens-political-voice-in-morocco/
Darhour, Hanane, and Dahlerup, Drude. 2013. “Sustainable Representation of Women through Gender Quotas: A Decade's Experience in Morocco.” Women's Studies International Forum, 41: 132–42. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277539513000769
Darhour, Hanane and Krit Salah-Ddine. 2012. "Empowered or not? Moroccan women MP's strategies to empowerment." European Journal of Scientific Research, 77, 2: 174-186.
https://www.academia.edu/27482046/Empowered_or_Not_Moroccan_Women_MPs_Strategies_to_Empowerment
National Democratic Institute, 2016. Citizens Express Their Priorities: Moroccan Citizens’ Views and Preferences Ahead of the 2016 Parliamentary Elections. NDI:https://www.ndi.org/sites/default/files/%20Morocco%20Focus%20Group%20Report%20%28English%29.pdf
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Castillejo, Clare and Helen Tilley. 2015. “The Road to Reform: Women’s Political Voice in Morocco.” https://odi.org/en/publications/the-road-to-reform-womens-political-voice-in-morocco/
Darhour, Hanane, and Dahlerup, Drude. 2013. “Sustainable Representation of Women through Gender Quotas: A Decade's Experience in Morocco.” Women's Studies International Forum, 41: 132–42. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277539513000769
Darhour, Hanane and Krit Salah-Ddine. 2012. "Empowered or not? Moroccan women MP's strategies to empowerment." European Journal of Scientific Research, 77, 2: 174-186.
https://www.academia.edu/27482046/Empowered_or_Not_Moroccan_Women_MPs_Strategies_to_Empowerment
National Democratic Institute, 2016. Citizens Express Their Priorities: Moroccan Citizens’ Views and Preferences Ahead of the 2016 Parliamentary Elections. NDI:https://www.ndi.org/sites/default/files/%20Morocco%20Focus%20Group%20Report%20%28English%29.pdf
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