Party Politics, Religion, and Women's Leadership

Lebanon in Comparative Perspective

Kenneth A. Loparo, Fatima Sbaity Kassem

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781137333209
• eBook ISBN: 9781137333216
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Comparative Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Exploring the interlinkages of political parties, religiosity, and women's leadership and nominations to public office, this book argues that as party religiosity increases, women's chances of assuming leadership positions fall. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, it advances a new theory of party variation in religiosity.

Annex 1

Questionnaire(s)^*

Party Institutionalization

1. Age: When was the party established?

2. Outreach: How many branches nation-wide?

3. Strength: How many seats did the party win in last three parliaments?

4. Membership: What is the total, female, and denomination or sect-disaggregated membership?

5. Mobilization: Bylaws to join the party: Application forms? Interview process?

6. Pluralism: Is membership open or exclusive to a specific sect?

7. Charter: Are there specific references in official party literature on women’s advancement?

8. How is party leadership transferred by elections, succession, appointment, acclamation? What is the term of the leader?

9. Are decisions centralized or decentralized? How are decisions taken? Who is the decision maker: party leader, party elites, or via consultation?

Women’s Leadership in Parties

1. Executive Committees: Name the top-level executive and legislative committees. What is the number of members in each of these committees?

2. What is the number of women in each of these leadership bodies?

3. What is the number and share of women in parliament from the party?

4. What is the share of women on party nominations for public office?

5. Does the party have internal or electoral quotas for women?

6. What are your views regarding internal gender quotas?

7. Does the party have special women’s wing? What are the main functions? Are they effective in mobilizing women?

8. Are women involved in decision making?

Individual and Party Religiosity

9. Is religion important for the party? Or, is religion a private affair?

10. Do you pray daily? Do you practice all religious rituals?

11. Why did you join the party? (a) Religious affiliation? (b) ideology (c) pressure to get a job (d) elections (e) women’s rights (f) other

12. Does the party platform contain religious goals? Does the party use politics to achieve religious aims?

13. Do you include the sect on membership application forms and/or cards?

Attitudes vis-à-vis Women’s Leadership: Views of Female MPs and Candidates

1. What are the main challenges in getting nominated by the party?

2. Did the party nominate you?

3. How did you run the electoral campaign? How did you mobilize support?

4. Fundraising: What methods did you use to raise funds to run for elections, or to run and manage your campaign? Did the fact that you are a woman assist or hinder? If neither, did your financial situation or any other specific factor help?

5. Campaign organization: Did you appoint women to help in running your election campaign?

6. Media portrayal: Did women support you or vote for other men competing for the same seat? In your opinion, how did the media portray your candidacy as a woman? Was this different from men candidates?

7. How do elected women progress and access leadership roles within their parties and in the parliament?

8. How do women work together in politics?

9. In your opinion, why didn’t other women run for elections?

10. Are you a member of a political party?

11. Do you serve in any executive committee in parliament?

12. Did you run for office and did not win? Why didn’t you make it? What are the main reasons for failure? Will you try again? Explain.

13. Is there a difference between men’s and women’s attitudes toward women in politics: voter turnout; behavior within parties; behavior within parliament? Explain.

14. How do elected women progress and access leadership roles within their parties and parliament?

Mobilization Strategies and Municipal Elections

1. Do you think that parties are the main vehicle for women’s leadership?

2. What are party-level characteristics that enhance women’s leadership?

3. Do you think secularism and/or religiosity influence women’s leadership?

4. Religion: Is religiosity a barrier to women’s lea...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Introduction
• One   Toward a Theory of Party Religiosity and Women’s Leadership
• Two   A Traveling Theory of Party Religiosity and Women’s Leadership
• Three   Why Lebanon? The Puzzle and Pool of Women in Party Politics
• Four   Party Religiosity, Political Culture, and the Civil War
• Five   Unpacking Party Institutionalization
• Six   Finding That Special Niche: Women for Parties
• Seven   Party Politics Explaining Women’s Leadership
• Eight   Can Women Break Through the Political Glass Ceiling?
• Concluding Remarks
• Epilogue   The 2011 Arab Uprisings: Will a “Women Spring” Ever Dawn?
• Annex 1   Questionnaire(s)
• Annex 2   Women in Parliament and Country-Level Indicators on Development, Political Regimes, and Electoral Systems in 80 Muslim-Majority and OECD Countries, 2010
• Notes
• Selected Bibliography
• Index