In the United States, where the first female vice president was born, the number of female members increased in the federal parliament, which was held at the same time as the presidential election, accounting for 26% of the total, the highest ever.

However, the ratio of female lawmakers in the United States is at a low level along with Japan among the seven major G7 countries, and experts point out that efforts need to be strengthened.

In the United States, where Kamala Harris became the first female vice president on the 20th of this month, the House of Representatives and Senate elections were held at the same time as the presidential election last November.



According to a summary by Rutgers University in the United States, a total of 27 new female candidates were elected in this parliamentary election, and as of 20th this month, 142 of the 535 seats in both the House and Senate will be occupied by female members. became.



This brings the ratio of female members of both the House and Senate to 26.5%, up nearly 3 points from the highest ever 23.7% since the establishment of the parliament.



Looking at the breakdown by political party, the Democratic Party has 105 people and the Republican Party has 37 people.



"We are proud to chair the most diverse Congressional House of Representatives in the history of the United States," said Congressman Nancy Pelosi on the 3rd of this month when the new Congress was convened.



However, the ratio of female members of the United States is the second lowest level after Japan among the seven major G7 countries.



Debbie Walsh, director of the American Women's and Political Center at Rutgers University, analyzed the results of this election as a result of a large number of Democratic women in the 2018 midterm elections, with more women in the Republican Party. I am.



He added, "Internationally, the proportion of female parliamentarians is still low. Women's perspectives are very valuable, but they cannot be heard without their voice in the discussions. Policies should not be decided solely by men. Both the Democratic and Republican parties should hire and support women candidates, "he said, pointing out that efforts need to be strengthened, such as actively seeking women candidates.

The first female member of the Diet

Democratic Congressman Marilyn Strickland was elected for the first time by running for the 10th constituency in western Washington, highlighting her eight-year history as mayor of the local city of Tacoma.



Strickland was born to an African-American father who fought in the Korean War as a Korean mother and a soldier, and his parents' experience of suffering from racism was one of the reasons for his political career. It is said that it was.



Regarding the low proportion of female lawmakers, Strickland said the situation is getting better and "male lawmakers are not asked to balance work and housework. Take care of their families. Is often a woman's job, and when I became the mayor I was single, but I still had to think about various futures, "he said, including housework, childcare, and caring for older parents. One of the reasons is that the current situation is biased toward women.



"The spread of the new coronavirus, such as having to quit work to take care of the family, has had an unbalanced effect on women. Solving issues such as family and wages is not just for women. It will also benefit society as a whole, "he said, showing his willingness to tackle these issues.

The ratio of female members in Japan and the United States is

The IPU = Inter-Parliamentary Union, which is formed by parliaments around the world, has summarized the percentage of women in the House of Representatives or the unicameral parliament as of this month.



Of the 190 countries in the world, the percentage of women in the US House of Representatives was 27.3%, 68th, and in Japan, the percentage of women in the House of Representatives, which is the House of Representatives, was 9.9%, ranking 166th.



Looking at the G7 and the seven major countries, France is ranked 26th with 39.5%, Italy is ranked 35th with 35.7%, the United Kingdom is ranked 39th with 33.9%, and the United States and Japan are among the seven countries. , 6th and 7th.



According to the Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office, in order to encourage women to participate in politics, France has sanctions to reduce party subsidies when the number of candidates is not the same in the House of Representatives election, and in Germany, political parties are unique. Efforts are being made to establish a certain percentage of female candidates.



On the other hand, three years ago, a law was enacted in Japan that aims to equalize the number of male and female candidates as much as possible in national elections.



There are no penalties in this law.

Gender influence on voting behavior

Research has also begun to clarify the impact of a candidate's gender and gender-related stereotypes on voter voting behavior.



In a study conducted by Professor Yoshikuni Ono of the Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, in collaboration with researchers in Japan and the United States, a profile of a candidate was created by randomly combining conditions such as gender, political position, and important policies. Was shown to the participants of the experiment, and the experiment was repeated in which the candidates to be supported were selected.



This method is called a "conjoint experiment" and analyzed the response data to estimate how much the candidate's gender would affect the decision.



As a result, the average of 1.3 points in the United States and 2.7 points in Japan, the female candidate was at a disadvantage.



Experiments in Japan also found that if female candidates emphasize "economy," "foreign policy," and "security," they tend to be at a disadvantage compared to candidates that emphasize "environmental problems."



In addition, another experiment emphasized that the House of Councilors had weaker powers than the House of Representatives, indicating that the House of Councilors was more likely to choose female candidates.



Professor Ono said, "Loss of 1 to 2 points of votes is a big number in the case of a close battle. The stereotype that politics is the territory of men and women play an auxiliary role influences voting behavior. I think I will give it. "



On top of that, regarding future issues, Professor Ono said, "The younger the generation, the more female politicians tend to think, and first of all, it is necessary for voters to understand the current situation correctly. Recognition that there is a bias. If we stand and work on it, the consciousness of voters may change. "