In Slovakia, Politics Is Still a Gentlemen’s Club

Male politicians from conservative and far-right parties rallied against it, calling the convention an imposition of "gender ideology" that blurred boundaries between the sexes and undermined traditional family values.

Women activists and politicians, including President Zuzana Caputova, tried to steer the debate back to the actual problem: domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence.

In the end, the male voices prevailed. On February 25, Slovakia's parliament rejected ratification of the treaty.

Four days later, Slovaks headed to the polls and elected a parliament in which women make up just over 20 per cent of lawmakers. In the new cabinet of 15 ministers, only three are women.

Such statistics, along with the paucity of women in management and board positions in companies, explain why Slovakia ranks 26th among 28 EU countries in the latest Gender Equality Index by the European Institute for Gender Equality. Only Hungary and Greece fared worse.

"I'll be very cynical, but Slovak society isn't ready for more female politicians yet — not in terms of numbers, but in terms of quality," Viera Zuborova, a political analyst at the Bratislava Policy Institute think tank, told BIRN.

"The number of women in the new parliament is low, which is going to influence the political culture, discussion and rhetoric, which will be too masculine as a result. Women have always cultivated political discussions."

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova (centre) poses with Ministers of the new Slovak government after an appointment ceremony of the new Slovak government in Bratislava, Slovakia, 21 March 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/SLOVAK PRESIDENT'S OFFICE

Slovakia's February 29 general election came roughly a year after Caputova was...