Atria was commissioned by the Council for Public Administration (ROB) to research the participation of women in municipal councils, Provincial Councils, Provincial Councils, Lower and Upper Houses and cabinets from 1946 to 2019. At all levels of government, the proportion of elected women remains hovering between 32% and 35%. This is still far from a representative representation of around 50%.
Atria was commissioned by the Council for Public Administration (ROB) to research the participation of women in municipal councils, Provincial Councils, Provincial Councils, Lower and Upper Houses and cabinets from 1946 to 2019. At all levels of government, the proportion of elected women remains hovering between 32% and 35%. This is still far from a representative representation of around 50%.
Proportion of women in public administration
The survey shows the following:
The percentage of women in the municipal council is lower than that in Provincial Councils and the House of Representatives throughout the post-war period. At the same time, this is the only level where the percentage of women has increased with each election. And where a clear upward trend can still be observed.
At all levels, the strongest increase in elections of women was in the 1966s to the early 1990s. Here the percentages rose from under 10% to 22% at the municipal level. And to around 30% for provincial and national levels. It seems no coincidence that this sharp rise coincides with the 'second feminist wave'.
At the beginning of the 21st century, a clear dip can be seen in the number of women elected at the national and provincial levels. At the national level, these are the 2002 elections. These take place immediately after the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, with the Lijst Pim Fortuyn (LPF) winning many votes at the expense of the PvdA. Moreover, this is the period when right-wing populism emerges with parties like LPF and PVV. The electoral lists of these parties consist largely of men.
No correlation can be found between the number of women in directly elected positions and the number of women in indirectly elected positions (Municipal Council - aldermen; Provincial Council - Provincial Council and Upper House; Lower House and government).
