Women’s Underrepresentation in Benin: The Downsides of Early Democratization

• In Event: Who Stands Between Women and Political Office in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Benin was one of the first African countries to democratize in the early 1990s, and it adopted a hypothetically woman-friendly system of proportional representation in its national and local elections. Yet Benin lags behind other African countries in the proportion of women in elected and appointed political office. This paper, based on nearly 100 interviews with women candidates, office holders, and advocates in early 2017, offers three explanations for the exceptionally low rate of women’s representation in Benin. First, it argues that democratization in Benin may have occurred “too early.” The dramatic moment of democratic transition, which allowed for fundamental change to the political system, happened before strong norms of women’s inclusion and quotas had emerged on the continent. Second, it argues that years of democratic competition have raised the cost and competitiveness of elections and appointments. Consequently, even though awareness of the need for women in office has grown, the realities of political competition have made it hard for women to enter office. Finally, the paper considers women’s structural position in Benin, where legal discrimination against women in matters of family and finance was the law until the early 2000s. It demonstrates that their status in the family and economy creates uniquely gendered barriers in politics.

Author

• Martha C. Johnson, Mills College