Demokratie ist mehr als eine Stimme an der Wahlurne

Am Internationalen Tag der Demokratie richtet sich der Blick meist auf das Wahlrecht als Fundament einer freien Gesellschaft. Doch Demokratie zeigt sich nicht nur an der Wahlurne. Sie entscheidet sich vor allem auch daran, wer die Lebens­bedingungen einer Gesellschaft mitgestalten kann und wessen Anliegen in der Politik überhaupt ankommen.

Soziale Bürgerrechte wie wirtschaft­liche Sicherheit, Würde und Unabhängigkeit waren für Frauen historisch keine Selbstverständlichkeit. Während sich politische Akteure früh für die Rechte männlicher Erwerbstätiger einsetzten, blieben die Interessen von Frauen lange am Rande des politischen Diskurses.

Genau hier setzt die Forschung von Dr. Keonhi Son an: Sie zeigt, wie entscheidend die Präsenz von Frauen im Parlament war, um diese Lücke zu schließen. Für ihr Forschungs­projekt „SheCitizen“, das die historische Rolle von Politikerinnen bei der Durchsetzung sozialer Bürgerrechte unter­sucht, wurde sie mit dem renommierten ERC Starting Grant ausgezeichnet.  

Wie sie zu diesem Ergebnis kommt, beschreibt Son im folgenden Gastbeitrag.

Gastbeitrag von Dr. Keonhi Son (in englischer Sprache)

Social citizen­ship – the rights that enable people to live with dignity and economic security – is often understood as the final stage in the development of citizen­ship in advanced capitalist societies, following civil rights and democratization. Yet women remain at the margins of this historical narrative. My research places them at its center, asking how institutions came to support women’s economic autonomy, reduce their dependence on both the market and marriage, and recognize them as full social citizens.

For women, these rights were far from guaranteed. As late as the 1970s, some advanced capitalist countries still restricted married women’s ability to take up paid employment without their husbands’ permission. In some countries, women’s access to unemployment insurance was limited despite their contributions, reflecting the assumption that they would leave paid employment upon marriage. The expansion of men’s social citizen­ship, therefore, did not automatically extend the same rights to women.

My research shows that women’s representation in parliament played a crucial role in closing this gap. For men, political parties and trade unions were often the main channels through which demands for social rights reached policymakers. These organizations were less responsive to women’s interests, partly because women had limited access to paid employment and gender issues had not yet become an established axis of party competition.

Early generations of female parliamentarians helped change this. Often leaders or active members of women’s movements, they brought women’s demands into political parties and legislative debates. 

My findings show that greater representation of women in parliament between 1900 and 1970 was associated with advances in social rights, including child benefits and paid maternity leave.

This history shows why democracy and representation matter for everyday life. Who has a voice in political institutions helps determine whose needs are recognized and whose rights are secured. For women, gaining that voice helped make economic autonomy and a dignified life a matter of public responsibility. Democracy’s promise lies not only in the right to vote, but also in the opportunity to shape the conditions under which we live.