De la mera voluntad a la garantía del Derecho: las mujeres en los parlamentos autonómicos

Abstract

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Basque Parliament is an excellent occasion to reflect about the events that have taken place during these past years in parliamentary life. Among other things, the quasi-symbolic presence of female members of parliament has increased more than half of the seats. This phenomenon is not exceptional: the same has happened in the Spanish Parliament, in our regional parliaments, in the parliaments of neighbouring countries and in any other agency or entity representing the citizens or the State. We will analyse how certain factors alien to parliamentary life have influenced this process, such as the advocacy of international agencies, some constitutional reforms in other countries, the work of female scientists and women's associations, both in academia and outside, as well as the feminist movement. The State has responded in a manner suitable to the rule of law, i.e. by passing legislation that ensures equal rights although sometimes recourse to justice has been necessary. The outcome is that the image projected by our parliaments is increasingly similar to the society they represent.