It's been a fabulous couple of days here in dear ole Praha. I really love this city . . . we love this city. Despite the occasional sticker shock when we decide to order something without checking the price first, Prague can be very affordable, and lovely. We've not run into a rude person. And when I was shopping for jewelery on the Charles Bridge today in the wonderful sunshine, I was tickled to try out my Czech and that I could actually respond in kind, which seemed to make a big impression. The bigger deal was my schmoozing with political women today, introducing myself, and starting the conversation in Czech, but also making it clear that "trochu mluvím česky."
The Forum 50% held a press conference today in the Czech Parliament. Their goal is to establish a quota for the list each party puts forward for the election, that at least 1 of the top three spots on the list is filled by a woman. As of now, the political parties put forward lists with several women, but the women are all on the bottom half of the list--clever. The Czech political system for parliamentary elections is run by a proportional system, which means that whatever percentage of the vote a party receives, that party fills that percentage of seats in the parliament, starting from the top of the list. In other words, very few women are in the Czech parliament (18%, unfortunately comparable to the US). So advocating a quota of 1 woman in the top 3 (which technically means the top half) is a pretty big deal. Citizens can still make a preference vote, which means that candidates on the list who receive a high percentage of the vote move up the list, but this doesn't happen for women much of the time. The Czech Republic is at the bottom of the list of EU countries when it comes to women's representation in parliament. While my hypothesis has to do with the political party rules as a gateway or gatekeeper, the advocates here believe change will come with quotas. The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, so I am excited to be a part of this campaign.
The parliament building itself--what a challenge to get in today--I had to say the right thing. But we made it. The press conference was very formal and I was told that this was the most media coverage the Forum 50% has ever received. They debuted their campaign materials and media spots, and I was lucky enough to receive copies of it all.
I introduced myself to several women, one of whom was
Kateřína Bartošová. What an interesting woman; we are having lunch next week to talk more. But her quick story tells so much about the political climate here. She is a member of the Civic Democrat party and the only woman from a political party invited to speak out today at the press conference. Her party has not been welcoming to women; in fact, the Civic Democrats have actually expelled women for speaking in favor of women's representation. So it was a risk for her to take part today. I told her I thought she was brave and she told me that she asked her "party boss" whether it was alright if she attended and she gave him a copy of her remarks. She was "allowed" to attend. I'm interested in why a woman wants to be a member of this party when there are other options, but she is an interesting case of navigating the rhetorical landscape and taking advantage of what is there in front of you. Here she is talking to the media after the press conference.
I met several other women and I hope they will help me learn more about women in Czech politics. It was an interesting morning.
The parliament building itself--what a challenge to get in today--I had to say the right thing. But we made it. The press conference was very formal and I was told that this was the most media coverage the Forum 50% has ever received. They debuted their campaign materials and media spots, and I was lucky enough to receive copies of it all. 
I introduced myself to several women, one of whom was Kateřína Bartošová. What an interesting woman; we are having lunch next week to talk more. But her quick story tells so much about the political climate here. She is a member of the Civic Democrat party and the only woman from a political party invited to speak out today at the press conference. Her party has not been welcoming to women; in fact, the Civic Democrats have actually expelled women for speaking in favor of women's representation. So it was a risk for her to take part today. I told her I thought she was brave and she told me that she asked her "party boss" whether it was alright if she attended and she gave him a copy of her remarks. She was "allowed" to attend. I'm interested in why a woman wants to be a member of this party when there are other options, but she is an interesting case of navigating the rhetorical landscape and taking advantage of what is there in front of you. Here she is talking to the media after the press conference.
I like the posts about food better.
ReplyDeleteOh come on Dan, I am supposed to be "working," and all told, I've done about 2 and 1/2 hours of "work" since March 29th. Not bad . . . Garlic soup pictures coming soon.
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