Deputy PM sets example

During her time as education minister from 2002 to 2006, Petra Buzková was once excluded from a Cabinet meeting because it took place in a sauna. Despite being the only female Cabinet member, she was willing to brave the unconventional setting, but her colleagues did not allow it.  

Women's rights advocates are hoping Buzková's experience, and the accompanying male-dominated world of Czech politics, are things of the past. Defense Minister Vlasta Parkanová's January appointment to the post of deputy prime minister - the highest position ever held by a woman in the Czech political hierarchy - is creating some optimism.

"Whenever a woman gets the opportunity to show her abilities in a high-up function, it can serve as a motivation for other women and can help remedy existing stereotypes," said Green Party MP and Deputy Chairwoman Kateřina Jacques.

The Czech Republic falls far below the European average in its representation of women in politics. On a communal level, the percentage of women involved is highest, with about 25 percent. There are only two female ministers, and in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, women comprise 16.5 percent and 17 percent, respectively, an alarmingly low figure compared with the European average of 21 percent, and greatly outpaced by countries like Sweden with a representation as high as 47 percent.

"Events abroad have shown that, to enable women to put their politics into action, we need at least a third of politicians to be female," says Eva Hejzlarová, coordinator of Forum 50 procent, an NGO promoting the advancement of women in Czech politics.

Local female politicians describe the scene as tailored exclusively to men's needs.

"Men try to be in charge of the rules of the game. Sometimes that disadvantages women. For example, those endless meetings without any time limits for the speakers," said Helena Třeštíková, who in January 2007 resigned from her post of culture minister after only 16 days in office because of political pressure over the appointment of a new deputy minister.

Time seems to be a core issue for women in politics, agrees Parkanová. "Women usually have two jobs," she said. "One is their actual profession, and the second is the household and family life. Politics then becomes their third job, which in most cases requires too much time and energy."

The lack of time often impedes female politicians from increasing their visibility within their party. In terms of membership, women are well-represented in all parliamentary parties, with percentages ranging from 33 percent to 53 percent. However, female party members have a much lower chance of obtaining nominations for elected posts.

"Who you know plays an enormous role," Hejzlarová said. "For example, there was a case where a female politician from a rather large city with a university degree was defeated by a man from a small town with an elementary education."

Unlikely heroine

A married mother of one, Parkanová appears to have overcome the obstacles to become defense minister - an unusual position for a woman to hold, by both European and Czech standards.

In December, she was criticized by Shadow Defense Minister Petr Hulínský, who accused her of neglecting her responsibility for the lives of Czech soldiers abroad. Nevertheless, her nomination to deputy prime minister serves as an example to others. "She has managed to be successful and keep her feminine view," Třeštíková said.

Since her 2006 ministerial appointment, Parkanová, who is fond of brick-red hair dye and heavy makeup, has established herself as a whimsical figure, namely for her musical performance during U.S. President George W. Bush's visit in August 2007. She has not found herself immune to criticism. Parkanová's much-mocked serenade, set to the tune of the Russian song Hello, Comrade Gagarin, featured the lyrics, "Hello, radar, I applaud you," which provided additional fodder for rivals. The publicity stunt prompted opposition leader Jiří Paroubek to remark that Parkanová's "only qualification seems to be that she can sing."

Hulínský points out that the failure to acknowledge the Czech public's disapproval of the radar is a shortcoming of the Czech Cabinet generally and Parkanová in particular. "She is not a good defense minister, and she does not handle the tasks connected to her new position well either," he said.

He said Parkanová got as far as she has in politics because she was "at the right place at the right time and with the right party."

When asked about the future outlook for women in Czech politics, Parkanová seems unlikely to question the game itself, replying that it is "wide open," adding that one obstacle to overcome is a woman's lack of "an alpha male mentality."

- Naďa Černá and Nina Makelberge contributed to this report.

Sarah Borufka can be reached at
sborufka@praguepost.com