CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR GENDER ISSUES
Andrassy ut.124, 1062 Budapest, Hungary
Phone/fax: + 361 312 50 71
E-mail: sonja@mail.tvnet.hu
Web address: http://www.europeanforum.bot-consult.se/gender_issues

Sonja Lokar
Executive Director

March 8, 1999, Ljubljana

Background:
Traditional approach to the International Women’s Day is to give just at this occasion, once a year, the possibility to a certain number of outstanding women to complain about the worsening situation of women in Slovenia. The public opinion would acknowledge it for a moment and forget it tomorrow. The idea of the only men TV Talk show on gender equality was, to make visible the fact that the sphere of politics in Slovenia is entirely dominated by the men so that the leading men are the only ones who have the power to improve the situation of women. Regional UNDP Gender in Development Program (Program manager Mrs. Anna Raduchowska Broscwicz) and Sonja Lokar (Executive Director of the CEE Network for Gender Issues and the leader of the Women’s Forum of the United List of Social Democrats) agreed to try a new approach. They wanted to present to the public, by the means of the seriously led TV talk show, the level of gender consciousness and the quantity and quality of political will of the representative members of the main parliamentarian political parties. They wanted to make it clear for the spectators how real is their support of women in the gradual overtaking of their half of political power in Slovenia.

Time and place:
They were successful in getting the prime time term on TV Slovenia, first program, on the day of 8^th March 1999, the International Women’s Day. TV Slovenia got 100 minutes for a talk show. It was shot the same day from 18.00 – 20.00 in the studio and shown after the second TV news, from 22.30-24.

As it was impossible to announce who would be the participants to the last moment, TV could not advertise the subject of the talk show in advance.

It was also typical how the editors of the Saturday supplements of two dailies with the biggest circulation (Delo, Dnevnik) without a lot of explanations ( "we have already planned something else" or simply:" we are not interested") turned out the propositions to publish an announcement of the TV talk show and the interview with the moderator, speaking about the gender relationships in Sweden. But the biggest evening daily (Vecer) accepted this proposal with pleasure and published the interview with the moderator and announced the show on March 5.

Participants:
It was important to get first rank politicians of the biggest political parties for the TV talk show. The invitations went to: Milan Kucan, president of the state, politically independent, dr. Janez Drnovsek, prime minister and president of the Liberal Democratic Party, dr. Janez Podobnik, chair person of the parliament, vice president of the People’s Party, Franc Testen, chair of the Constitutional Court, Ivan Bizjak, ombudsman, important member of the Christian Democratic Party, Igor Bavcar, Minister for European Affaires, vice-president of the Liberals, Borut Pahor, MP, president of the United List of Social Democrats and Janez Jansa, MP, president of the Social Democratic Party.

Very soon it became obvious that majority of politicians who would give a fortune to be seen on the TV for a few minutes, hesitate to come to speak about gender equality issue four an hour and a half. The Prime minister apologized very politely very soon, the president of the state the same, but much latter. In fact they were both out of the country. The president of the Constitutional Court explained – and he was right - that he would make a mistake if he came to speak about the things he might be asked to take a decision in the Court latter (The quota in the Law on elections for example). The chair of the parliament and the ombudsman said "yes" and stayed firm in their decision from the first day to the end. The president of SD party apologized and immediately appointed somebody else – dr. Milan Zver, a member of State Council and a member of the Presidency of the SD Party. The President of the ULSD promised to come, but on the day of the show found something more important to do and sent a president of the party’s program council, dr.Igor Luksic. The negotiations for the participation of the leading party in government, Liberal Democrats, were close to the comedy. Four of their ministers, secretary general of the LD party and their member, MP and deputy chair of the parliamentarian commission for Equal opportunities were consequently asked to come. Some of them first promised and canceled, promised and canceled, they tried even to change the rules of the game in the last moment, asking the organizers of the show to accept a women instead of one of their men – the Director of the governmental office for women’s politics. When this was not accepted, the minister for European Affaires promised to come half an hour before the shooting of the show has started, but he never showed out. So the chair of the most important political party in Slovenia stayed empty and the moderator made it clear for the audience.

The moderator:
From the very beginning it was clear that the role of the moderator was crucial. Well known, credible male politician or journalist, skilled TV moderator at the same time, strongly in favor for gender equality, acceptable for all the participants. In Slovenia it was impossible to find such a man. So the decision was taken to find somebody suitable from European Union. Mr. Par Granstedt, former MP of the central party in the Swedish parliament and actual managing director of the Federation of Farmers in Sweden was a perfect choice.

Preparatory meeting for the moderator:
Before the talk show, at the same day, Women’s Forum of the United List of Social Democrats and the Governmental office for Women’s Politics organized to the moderator the possibility to meet the most important Slovene feminists. This meeting helped to the moderator to evaluate facts and figures about men and women in Slovenia. He got crucial information about the ongoing gender equality debate in the society. He got an inside of the most important specific issues. In this way he was well prepared to be able to avoid the possible bluffing of the participants in the talk show.

The TV talk show:
The show made a clear demonstration of how the male leaderships of the parties participating in the show see the problem of gender inequality in Slovene society:

• They all acknowledge that women are discriminated upon - specially in the labor market. They are aware of the fact that the biggest share of unpaid household work and the care for the children and elderly is still predominantly on their shoulders. They do not deny the existence of the glass ceiling. They see that women are practically absent from the political decision making bodies. They are aware that women might bring something different and important in politics. They do accept that women should be equally represented in the parliament and in the government.

• In the analysis who is responsible for the sadly small representation of women in the parliament (7,8%) and in the government (not one woman minister), the participants found different reasons. Women do not want to enter, do not have time or stomach for the politics. There are not enough capable women to fulfil the half of the power positions. The society is not organized in a way to let women to take part in the politics. Prime minister did not accept the proposition for the woman minister offered from the People’s Party. The fact that ULSD lost a third of the seats and that women picked up the wrong unites to run in – these are the reasons why 40% quota in ULSD did not work. Women voters and voters in general prefer male candidates…
• The moderator pointed out that there is maybe a serious failure in the parties’ nomination procedures and that the leaderships could change them in favor of equal representation of women. Not one of the participants accepted this reasoning. On the issue of quotas the participants were of the different opinion – SD party was against, all the others would accept it as a temporary means to help women in the start. The representative of the People’s Party was afraid that women themselves would be against the quota…
• At the end of the TV talk show the moderator asked the participants from different parties, what they can promise to the women. The answers were vague and modest. People’s party would like to be realistic, but it will do its best, SD party would not form the government without a woman minister, ULSD will have a woman vice chair of the party and in its government at least one woman minister. Nobody has promised a consistent policy of encouraging and promoting women in the politics.

Instead of conclusions:
This TV talk show fulfilled its mission. The big auditory of Slovene TV spectators was clearly informed of how the male political leaderships see the problem of gender inequality, how important it seems to them and how it will be addressed. In fact, if one strips off the politeness of skilled politicians, it was said: the problem exists, it is not an important problem, it is up to somebody else to solve it.

The message is clear and now it is up to the women’s movement and to the democratic but powerless men in Slovene society to understand the consequences and to organize to cope with them.

Sonja Lokar,
Budapest, March 11, 1999.