Are women in Bosnia and Herzegovina politics out of focus?

This figure is not surprising considering the provisions of the Election Law requiring a mandatory quota of 40% for the underrepresented sex on candidate lists. However, of the 542 candidate lists across all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, women head only 15.5%, or 84 lists, representing a decrease of 6.1 percentage points compared with the 2022 General Elections.

Today marked the launch of the “Out of Focus” campaign, which draws attention to what the numbers alone do not show:

• How visible are women candidates in practice?
• To what extent are their political messages in focus?
• Do we assess women and men candidates according to the same criteria?

“The Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina contains specific provisions on the representation of the underrepresented sex on candidate lists and the equal promotion of women and men candidates during election campaigns. But formal representation and media presence alone are not enough. What also matters is how women candidates are presented, which issues are brought to the forefront, and the criteria used to assess their competencies, experience and political work. Stereotypical and sexist portrayals divert attention away from women candidates’ programmes, positions and results, thereby undermining equal conditions for political participation,” said Samra Filipović-Hadžiabdić, Director of the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The “Out of Focus” campaign addresses this very issue: the visibility of women in political and public life and the impact of stereotypes on how political leadership is perceived. Its purpose is to highlight the importance of ensuring equal opportunities for women and men candidates to present their views, experience and programmes and to be assessed according to the same criteria.

The aim of the “Out of Focus” campaign is not to tell voters whom to vote for, but to encourage them to set stereotypes and harmful social norms aside and, this time, give all women and men candidates an equal chance, regardless of sex.

H.E. Åge Sandal Møller, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Bosnia and Herzegovina, said at the press conference marking the launch of the “Out of Focus” campaign: “Denmark’s own experience shows that political representation can change, but also that progress requires sustained commitment. At Denmark’s parliamentary elections on 24 March 2026, women won 48 per cent of the seats in the Danish Parliament – the highest share in our history. This progress did not happen overnight, and it does not mean that the work on gender equality is finished. But it shows that greater equality in political representation is possible. Of course, every country has its own political system, context and path. The point is not to compare countries, but to underline a principle that applies everywhere: women and men should have an equal opportunity to participate, to lead and to be judged on their qualifications, ideas and results.”

Why do women remain out of focus?

The Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina stipulates that at least 40% of candidates on candidate lists must belong to the underrepresented sex. However, securing a place on a candidate list does not necessarily mean that a woman candidate has an equal opportunity to be presented to the public, supported during the campaign and elected.

Women’s political participation and visibility are affected by:

• gender stereotypes and the belief that politics is primarily “men’s work”;
• women’s lower representation in leadership positions within political parties;
• unequal access to support, resources and visibility during election campaigns;
• women’s disproportionate responsibility for family and household care;
• sexist comments, harassment, threats and other forms of violence, particularly online.

Research conducted by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in 2019 among 83 politically active women in Bosnia and Herzegovina found that 60.2% of respondents had experienced some form of violence during their political engagement, while 45.8% reported that they had experienced violence specifically because they were women.

Such experiences can restrict women’s political engagement, cause them to withdraw, or discourage other women from entering politics in the first place.

The “Out of Focus” campaign does not tell you who to vote for. It encourages you to recognise stereotypes that may influence your decision and to assess every woman and man candidate on the basis of:

• knowledge, experience and competencies;
• programmes and proposed solutions;
• integrity and accountability;
• results of their previous work;
• the values they represent.

“Our objective is not simply to see women present in political life, but to support an environment in which women have the same opportunities as men to participate, to remain politically active, to assume leadership roles and to contribute to decision-making without discrimination, stereotypes or violence. This also means looking beyond numbers. Representation matters. But so does the quality of participation. Who gets heard? Whose experience is taken seriously? Who is given the opportunity to explain their programme and defend their ideas? And are women and men being assessed according to the same standards? These questions are particularly relevant during an election campaign, when public perceptions are being shaped every day,” said Jo-Anne Bishop, UN Women Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The “Out of Focus” campaign includes billboards across Bosnia and Herzegovina, five public installations, educational videos and an online campaign. It is implemented as part of the Gender Equality Accelerator Joint Programme, implemented by United Nations agencies: UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF, with financial support from the European Union and the governments of Denmark and Sweden, and in cooperation with the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Gender Centre of Republika Srpska and the Gender Centre of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.