Politics

There are no formal obstacles for equality in political representation. The right of both men and women to vote and be elected was recognized in Latvia already in 1918 with the establishment of the Latvian state. However politics is one of the areas where the de facto gender equality remains to be achieved. Since the restoration of independence among deputies of the Saeima (Parliament) women compose approximately 8% - 20%. This shows structural obstacles for women to enter politics. Likewise at the Cabinet of Ministers there is a constant gender disproportion, there are usually 2-4 women ministers out of 17 ministers posts. Usually women have the responsibility over social sectors - education, culture, social issues, health. Research shows that main obstacles for this are intra-party and intra-political elite political culture, stereotypes about what constitutes a politician held by the general public and family obligations for women. The low participation of women in politics is related to the political culture and long traditions in Latvia, where politicians is perceived as men's field of action.