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Date Added to
Site: 18th November 2003 |
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Short Summary
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| Title |
Political Cleaners: How Women are the New Anti-Corruption
Force. Does the Evidence Wash? |
| Author |
Goetz, A. M. |
| Publication
Date |
June 2003 |
| Publisher |
Institute of Development Studies (IDS) |
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Short Summary |
There is a myth in the making that women tend
to be less corrupt than men. Donors cite women as being at the forefront
of anti corruption campaigns, and quote statistical evidence that
countries with more women in politics are less corrupt. Such statements
are based on ideas of women as selfless and community oriented. Ironically,
these are the flipside of the myth that women have a role in the family
which makes them unsuited for rational thinking and politics. This
paper contests the myth that women are by nature less corrupt and
argues instead that if women show less corruption this may be because
they are excluded from the opportunities for corruption. This may
change as more women enter public office. Instead of asking women
to solve the problem of corruption by raising moral standards, institutional
reform is needed to transform public institutions to become more accountable,
and to work in the interests of gender and social equity. (Paper prepared
for the International Workshop Feminist Fables and Gender Myths: Repositioning
Gender in Development Policy and Practice, Institute of Development
Studies, Sussex, 2-4 July 2003)
Author's note: This is a draft, please do not cite without author's
permission. Comments welcome at: a.m.goetz@ids.ac.uk |
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