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"We can't go into the 21st century and claim that we're a democracy when [women] are only about 11% of the congress and 22% of the state legislators. Now, how are we going to expand the number of women there?...We have to have a Voting Rights Act for Women!" ELEANOR SMEAL |
CED supports full gender equality in the democratic, power sharing process. All legislative bodies as well as judicial and executive positions at every level of government should be filled with men and women in equal numbers. Intelligent and just social decision-making requires the combined wisdom and values of both genders. Further, the distinctive interests of each gender can only be represented fairly by equal representation at all levels and in all dimensions of democratic self-government. Several Scandinavian countries have already called for, and have made significant progress toward, the realization of equal gender representation in government. |
