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GLOBAL: At Congress, delegates will vote on a proposal to create six additional seats for women on the IMF Executive Committee. The proposal results from an analysis of the representation of women in IMF structures which determined that time alone, albeit coupled with good intentions, would never be enough to bring about the necessary changes.
IMF does not stand alone in reaching this conclusion. Many of its affiliates have concluded that binding quotas are the only way to ensure adequate representation of women, at least initially.
There is no standard way of applying quotas. The following examples demonstrate some of the ways that IMF affiliates are using quotas to assure women a place at the decision-making table.
TU Finland The union constitution contains a gender equality clause stating that men and women will be elected to the executive in numbers which reflect their share of the membership. Currently 12 of the 27 executive seats are held by women.
FGMM-CFDT France One seat is reserved for a woman out of the 7 national secretaries who comprise the executive of the federation. Union delegations to Congress must respect the proportion of men and women employed in the metalworking industry.
CAW – Canada The union has had mandatory seats for women on the national executive.
CNM-CUT – Brazil According to union statutes, women must hold at least 30% of all elected board positions. In addition, quotas have been adopted for women’s participation in activities such as congresses, delegations and seminars.
TUICO – Tanzania Quotas are applied at the branch, regional and national levels of the union. The quotas range from 20 to 50%.
FKMTU – Korea In 2004 the union established a quota system for women’s representation in leadership positions that will take effect in 2006.
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