Building an Inclusive Political Environment for Women and Youth in Kosovo
Inclusive political participation is a core element of a democracy. In Kosovo, equal participation within, and representation by, political parties across demographics is an example of a democratic building block that is not yet present, particularly concerning women and youth. While the obstacles women and youth face to greater political involvement differ, they share the same situation of hindered participation. An IRI poll conducted by the Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR) in May 2024 as a part of IRI’s Advancing Women and Youth in Kosovo Politics project indicates that the people of Kosovo are supportive of increased political involvement of these two groups, while the results of the poll, outlined below, further shed light on what the main barriers are to women and youth’s participation in, and access to, political processes.
Barriers to Equal Political Inclusion
On paper, Kosovo possesses robust legislation on gender equality. In 2015, Pristina introduced a Law on Gender Equality, which cemented gender equality as a core value of Kosovo’s democracy and outlined several measures to promote it—such as creating an Agency for Gender Equality.
In practice, however, there remains a significant gap between legislation and implementation. Women in Kosovo continue to face significant obstacles to gaining power and leadership positions within political parties. The CISR poll highlights what Kosovo citizens see as the significant roadblocks to increased participation by women in Kosovo’s political space. When asked, “Why don’t more women run for political office in our country?” the largest share of respondents (63%) agreed that women’s preoccupation with raising their children plays a major role, while the other top answers were that women lack the support network necessary (57%) and lack support from the political parties to which they belong (55%). Along with the consequences of traditional social structures, women do not have equal access to the political resources that are key to successfully running for office.
For separate reasons, the youth population has also struggled to gain equal participatory rights to political processes and parties in Kosovo. Kosovo has a piece of legislation adopted in 2009 that addresses the matter, titled the “Law on Empowerment and Participation of Youth.” Still, as is the case with gender equality, a need exists to address the gap between legislation and implementation. When asked what the major barriers are for youth (aged 35 and under) in Kosovo to running for political office, 64% responded that young people’s preoccupation with finding jobs or advancing their careers plays a major role, 60% answered that they lack political experience, and 57% responded that they lack the resources to mount a campaign. It is also worth noting that 51% of respondents believe that the youth lack support from the political parties to which they belong. As is the case with Kosovo’s women, while legislation on the matter exists, it is evident that Kosovo’s youth lack both sufficient support from society and its political parties in order to participate in the political processes.
IRI’s Efforts to Foster Political Inclusion in Kosovo
Despite the current struggles of women and youth to gain political involvement, the people of Kosovo are in favor of their increased participation. For example, 81% of respondents support the election of more women to government, while 82% support the election of more youth. IRI programming in Kosovo is working to align political parties’ inclusion of women and youth with this strong public demand and democratic ideals of equality. The Advancing Women and Youth in Kosovo Politics project, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), is a key part of this effort. The project aims to reduce structural barriers to gender equality within political parties, equip women and youth with the necessary skills to build party support at local levels, and train political parties to better address the needs of all citizens.
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