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Women’s Decision-Making Power in the Local Councils of Albania: Do Numbers Make a Difference?

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Abstract

Many countries have endorsed affirmative action policies to promote gender equality in decision-making. Yet, evidence on the impact of women’s presence in decision-making is mixed. This study examines the relationship between women’s numbers and decision-making power in the local councils of Albania. It addresses two questions: How do councilwomen perceive their decision-making power? What is the relationship between the number of councilwomen and their decision-making power? Drawing on 186 interviews conducted with women in rural and urban councils, the study shows that the proportion of councilwomen does not have an effect on their decision-making power. Findings provide insights into how councilwomen enact representation in a political environment that sustains centralized practices of governance.

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Funding

This study was funded by United Nations Development Programme—Albania (contract number: ALB-194-2014).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tirana, Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta, Tirana, Albania

    Marsela Dauti

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  1. Marsela Dauti
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Correspondence to Marsela Dauti.

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Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

Author Marsela Dauti has received a research grant from United Nations Development Programme—Albania (contract number: ALB-194-2014).

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Dauti, M. Women’s Decision-Making Power in the Local Councils of Albania: Do Numbers Make a Difference?. Glob Soc Welf 5, 253–263 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-017-0105-5

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