This is the lowest share of female MPs since the introduction of gender quotas more than a decade ago. This is a step backwards, according to international standards. Out of 9 parties which managed to make it into parliament, only one has a female party president – Alenka Bratušek, but even she did not win a deputy seat.
Vika Potočnik, director of the Pioneer Home – Youth Culture Centre, who is a former Ljubljana mayor and a deputy in Slovenia's first parliamentary assembly, is convinced that the level of democracy in a country is assessed by the inclusion of women at all decision-making levels. She adds that the current election legislation still excludes women, as parties list them in electoral districts where it is too difficult to win.
Only one fifth of management positions in economics sector are held by women, while the number of female executives is even smaller, says Sonja Šmuc, director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. According to Šmuc, gender quotas have significantly contributed for women not to be overlooked in politics, but in society, women still run into obstacles because of their gender.
In the long-term, the awareness of the importance of the inclusion of women must become a priority of the entire society and not just of individual political parties.