The forty northern municipalities have too few female aldermen and councilors. This means that the municipal authorities and councils are not a good reflection of society. With the elections over and talks on coalition building soon to start, greater consideration should be given to women and minorities.
That is the view of the Aletta Jacobs Northern Netherlands Foundation and the Atria Knowledge Institute for Emancipation and Women’s History. In a letter to the municipalities, they point out that the municipal authorities are not a good representation of the inhabitants they represent. According to them, 20 percent of the aldermen in Drenthe were women. In Groningen it was 27 percent, in Friesland 28 percent.
In municipal councils, the number of women also lags behind the number of men. In Drenthe’s municipal councils, an average of 31 percent was women. In Groningen, that percentage was slightly higher at 33 percent. With 35 percent, Friesland had the highest percentage in the Northern Netherlands.
Color and migration background
In the representation of people of color or with a migration background, municipal councils and colleges in the Northern Netherlands are lagging behind. “While society has changed rapidly in composition in recent decades. This can be different.” That is why Aletta Jacobs Noord-Nederland and Atria are requesting more attention for women and people of color in the formation of new lectures.
Five themes
According to the two organizations, it is about more than just representation. “Municipality policies with an eye for gender, diversity and inclusion lead to more effective policies,” they say. That is why all new municipal authorities should include a paragraph Diversity and Inclusivity should be included in their coalition programme.
“Gender-sensitive policies recognize that men and women are assigned different roles in society, and that as a result they have different interests, needs and priorities. By recognizing the interests, needs, talents and work potential of all residents in the municipality and using it ensures that municipal policy becomes more effective.”
The Aletta Jacobs North Netherlands Foundation and Atria have come up with five themes that municipalities should pay attention to. They give as an example that municipalities can focus on closing the pay gap between men and women. “Both when setting up your own personnel policy and for entrepreneurs and all other organizations you work with.” Other suggestions include setting up a hotline for street harassment and arranging so-called ‘period lockers’ in schools.