In conversation with Devika Partiman: why everyone should vote for a woman

Hey Devika, before we dive into your current work, I'd like to know who Devika was before she founded Stem op een Vrouw.

Originally, I was a festival producer. I studied event management and worked on various productions such as Magneet festival, IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) and Roots festival; mainly focused on events within the music sector.

Originally, I was a festival producer. I studied event management and then worked for various productions such as Magneet festival, IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) and Roots festival; mainly for events within the music sector.

You were inspired by Suriname to set up Stem op een Vrouw. Can you tell us more about that?

I was visiting family in Suriname and decided to go to a museum for a day. That's where a 1996 flyer caught my attention. It said: 'Women make up half the population but are not represented in the National Assembly. Choose consciously, vote for a woman. ' It was a flyer from the Surinamese women's organization Women's Parliament Forum.

I took a picture of the flyer and once back in the Netherlands, the message stuck in my head. I started to wonder about the representation of women in our government. I found that the percentage of women chosen there was shockingly low, which I found mind-boggling. With the House of Representatives elections coming up, I decided to take action. As an activist in other areas, I brought a small group of people together to set up a campaign that encouraged people in the Netherlands to vote for women. This is how Stem op een Vrouw was created in 2017. Since then, our team and activities have grown enormously. I now have a team of 10 people and during election time, we work with around 30 volunteers!

Why is it important that there is a greater representation of women in politics?

Parliament must reflect the society it represents. That way, people know that their voice is being heard and that their interests are being represented. Research clearly shows that a diverse group of politicians and a good representation of women leads to better policies, not just for women, but for everyone. Plus, it's important for everyone to see politicians who look like them and who think like them. Such role models are especially important for children.

Unfortunately, the current ratio is not in balance. There are too few women to have a full impact on decisions, all of which actually matter to women, and to always consider different women's perspectives. In addition, there is a lack of visibility and diversity among women who have already been elected.

You could say that men can represent women. That's certainly true, but if you turned it around and there were only 150 women in the House of Representatives, men would probably realize that's not the right balance. Different people complement each other and representation must be balanced.

I imagine you often get criticism from men — and maybe some women too — about what you're trying to achieve. What comment or criticism would you like to debunk once and for all?

A common criticism is: “Shouldn't it be about quality rather than gender?” We have undoubtedly heard this question more than a thousand times, and we have answered it more than a thousand times. I always say: Of course, it's about quality. Why vote for someone you don't think is qualified? Our campaign isn't “Vote for a woman you don't think qualified”.

The problem often lies with the collective idea of what qualification means. This idea comes from the story that there is only one person on the list who is the best, and that is usually the candidate who is at the top. But this is not what our democracy is about. Quality in our democracy means that all the people on the list complement each other.

Our message is not to randomly choose a woman and vote for her, but to choose someone who is right for you. And if that person is a woman, you are voting for both quality and greater equality. In addition, many people voted for candidates who were at the top of the list without often really knowing what they stand for or who the other candidates are.

So yes, voting is about quality, but why does that mean you can't vote for a woman? Better representation of all people leads to better policy. Voting for a more diverse parliament improves the quality of policy.

You've set up a campaign to make people aware of “preferential votes”. Can you tell me what this means and how it increases the chances of more women being elected?

People who think it's important that more women are elected to politics often vote for the first woman on the list. That's a nice gesture, of course, but that woman is already high on the list and doesn't need your vote.

With our campaign, we encourage people to vote for women who are lower on the list to get additional women into the House of Representatives. How does it work First, you need to find one or maybe a few political parties you want to vote for. Second, you look at the polls. How many seats does your preferred party have? Finally, look at the women under the number of seats. They need your preferred vote to get elected.

On our website www.stemopeenvrouw.com, which is also available in English, offers an overview of all political parties and female candidates.

Why has the percentage of women in the House of Representatives declined over the past 20 years?

In general, people have been voting more for women in recent years. But some political parties - often right-wing and/or Christian parties - simply don't make finding and attracting women as candidates a priority. It is precisely those parties that have a low percentage of women on their list of candidates who have grown in recent years. That is why the percentage of women has fallen.

What do you like most about your job?

Knowing that we're really changing something. I also enjoy working with young, ambitious women. We elected hundreds of additional women and got them politically active. I've had many conversations with young people who found out about our voting strategy and have since become more aware of the individual power of their voice. They are actively researching and have become more critical about who they give their voice to. That is something that I am very happy about.

We are very happy that the Stem op een Vrouw team has chosen A Lab as a place to continue working from. When did you become a member and how did you choose A Lab?

We have been based here since January 2019. We were looking for a central office space that was easily accessible, and A Lab caught our attention because of its location right next to the central station. We immediately hit it off with Lucas, the director of A Lab, and Ismay, the former community manager. You can really see that team A Lab is excited about what everyone does. You put a lot of effort into creating a space that encourages progressive ideas and houses progressive organizations. In addition, A Lab is very flexible in finding a type of membership that suits our situation, which is perfect for a small and growing foundation.

Have you already worked with other members of A Lab?

In 2022, Zeppa offered to work on our campaign style and website. We've used their framework and strategic tips for our current website, so we're very happy about that. Plus, it's nice to know other people in the community who are within the progressive movement, like Hedy Tjin and Arjun Chadha. It's nice that you can find each other.

We are really looking forward to your upcoming event at De Politieke Tuin, De Tolhuistuin, on November 16, 17 and 18. Can you tell us more about that?

The Political Garden is a political space where we organize three special election programs with Vote for a Woman! Three days in a row, we invite various speakers and female candidates to come and talk to us and the visitors. On Thursday, we invited women's organizations Women Inc. and ActionAid to share their analysis of the political parties running in the elections. They went through all the programs to see what the different parties plan to do for gender equality. On Friday, we invited Sara Nasrawi, a youth representative, to talk about her experiences as a young and active citizen. And on Saturday, we invited Titia Hoogendoorn, who will give a “politics for dummies” speech and answer all the questions you would normally be afraid to ask about politics. And on all days, you can also meet female candidates from different parties!

What do you hope to achieve with this event?

I want to bring people together to talk about politics and the upcoming elections in a fun and informal way! And of course, we want people to understand why it's important to look at what your political party plans to do in terms of gender equality. Indeed, many political decisions affect women and women's rights, but too little attention is often paid to them. I also think it's a unique opportunity to meet candidates in such a small space so you really get the chance to talk to them.

What other collectives, groups or people in the field of political diversity should we follow?

Fortunately, there are a lot of them! If you want to know where different parties stand when it comes to gender equality, go to the tools stemgendergelijkheid.nl and the Feminist Party Guide. If you want to know which parties are running for election and are looking for information about their candidates, use the voice help from Vote for a Woman (on our home page). Here are also a couple of Instagram accounts to follow:

• https://www.instagram.com/afronlstemt/ provides an overview of all Afro-Dutch candidates
• https://www.instagram.com/kleurdekamer/ provides an overview of all candidates of color
• https://www.instagram.com/stemopeenjongere.nl/ will soon publish a tool where you can find all young candidates
• And last but not least: peace organization PAX has created a voting tool that shows whether different political parties stand for peace. Use it here: https://paxvoorvrede.nl/acties/vredeswijzer/

Thanks for taking the time to tell us about Vote for a Woman. Your passion for promoting women's participation is inspiring, and we hope that your efforts will continue to encourage more people to support and vote for women. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of your work in the upcoming elections!