International IDEA published in 2018 “Gender-targeted Public Funding for Political Parties: A comparative analysis.” According to this study, “gender-targeted public funding either means that the amount of public funding a political party receives is connected to the level of gender equality among the candidates it puts up for election (or manages to get elected), or that a certain proportion of the public funding a party receives is earmarked for gender-related activities”, such as training for women members of the party. The main goals of gender-targeted public funding include to increase women’s representation in elected bodies and to empower women in political parties. Gender-targeted public funding can be an effective instrument to promote women’s participation, especially in systems where “the share of total party income received from public sources is high”, like it is the case in Albania, where 90 percent of the parties’ budgets comes from public funding.[1]  

Example: In Georgia, “an additional 30 percent in funding will be awarded to parties that have 3 women for every 10 candidates.”[2]

Example: In Moldova, “parties with 40 percent women candidates receive additional 10 percent public funding, plus an unspecified multiple for each woman elected.”[3]

Example: In Albania, “30 percent of candidates must be women in all elections. Failure to comply is punishable by fines, which are taken from each party’s respective public funding.”[4] 

Example: In France, “if the gender difference among candidates is larger than 2 percent, the public funding is reduced by 1.5 times this difference.”[5]  

Example: In Panama, “at least 10% of the public funding is devoted to civic and political education activities. 2.5% shall be channeled solely to support women’s training activities.”[6]

Example: In Mexico, “each party must devote 2% of its annual regular public funding to the training, promotion and development of women’s leadership.”[7]  

In a 2018 iKNOW Politics e-discussion on “Funding for Women Candidates”, participants made the following recommendations to enhance women’s participation through funding mechanisms. 

• “Limiting campaign budgets to reduce the fundraising races; 
• Ensuring transparency in campaign financing to limit the use of illegal money and networks/companies; 
• Strengthening the mandate and operating budget of the EMB to properly monitor campaign spending and hold political parties to account; 
• Provide interest free loans to women candidates; 
• Deduct taxes from donors financing women candidates’ campaigns; 
• Introducing financial incentives for political to increase women’s political participation.”[1]