Parliamentary and Presidential Systems of Government

An estimated 60 percent of Iraqis voted during the 2010 parliamentary elections on Monday. In a parliamentary democracy like Iraq’s, parliament has sovereignty over the head of the government, the prime minster. The prime minster is usually the leader of the political party that has either won the majority of seats in parliament or has the most seats without holding a majority. In the case of the latter, the political party with the most seats in parliament must form a coalition government, which includes members of other political parties. Many European, Middle Eastern, and South Asian nations follow the parliamentary system, with Britain’s being that most famous.

The political party of the current Iraqi Prime Minster, Nouri Maliki, is not expected to retain a majority of the seats in that country’s parliament but will probably still hold the most seats and thus would be forced to form a coalition government.

During the 2008 election cycle in the United States, almost 62 percent of eligible voters went to the polls to elect the 44th President of the United States. They also handed the Democratic Party a majority of the seats in both houses of Congress. Some believe the Democrats are in danger of losing their majorities in Congress during the mid-term elections this November, but no matter the result, in a presidential system, Barack Obama would still be President of the United States.

Questions to Consider

1. Which system, parliamentary or presidential, is more consistent with democratic ideals?


2. Which system provides for more accountability to the voters?


3. Why have more democracies adopted the parliamentary system than the presidential system?


4. Would a parliamentary system necessitate more political parties?


5. Would having fewer political parties mean a more stable system of government?
   

Women's perceptions of voting kept them away from the polls

On this, the last day of Women’s History Month, it is fitting to reflect on a note-worthy suvey of women and the voting franchise. Though women won the right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920, they did not exercise their newly-granted power in an equal proportion to men until sixty years later. 59.4% of voting-age women participated in the 1980 presidential election, in comparison to 59.1% of their male counterparts.

Of interest to today’s students, perhaps, are the reasons that women did not go to the polls in greater numbers. The results of a 1924 University of Chicago poll of non-voting women give insight into the attitudes of women during the period.

Students might not be surprised to learn that the number one reason given by women who opted not to cast a ballot was “general indifference to politics or to the particular election that year.” However, a more startling rationale for staying away from the voting booth was given by 11.4% of women: a “disbelief in woman’s voting.” Ethnic background and age were predictors of this response, with a tendency for the anti-suffragist belief to be shared by German, Irish and Italian women of older years. Teachers can ask students to examine why these groups would have shown a tendency to hold this view.

“Objections of husband” were cited to a lesser extent than the women’s own objections. Teachers can prompt students to consider why women might have been the greatest impediment to their own voter turnout.

Let’s celebrate the fact that in 2009 women continue to vote in equal numbers and percentages to men!

You Go Girl

March is Women's History Month! The celebration of women's history can be traced back to as early as 1911 when the first Women's International Day occured on March 8 in Europe. This was a popular time for women's rights, and the suffrage movement was in full swing. With the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920, women gained the right to vote. However, soon after with the economic depression of the late 1920s and 1930s women's rights moved to the back burner.

In the 1970s women began fighting for more rights, particularly in the world outside of the home. Colleges began offering women's studies courses and in 1978 the education task force of the Sonoma County, California, Commission on the Status of Women held the first "Women's History Week" celebration. They chose the week of March 8th in order to pay tribute to the first Women's Day celebration. Schools around the country began to host their own Women's History Week and in 1981 congress passed a resolution establishing a National Women's History Week.

The National Women's History Project got involved, and in 1987 requested that congress extend it to be a National Women's History Month. Congress continues to issue a resolution every year, and the U.S. President also issues a proclamation of Women's History Month each year.

With the focus on women this month it is a great time to profile some amazing women, or to discuss the impact women have had on our country's history.

Suggested classroom activity:

Many people have suggested the addition of new federal holidays. Imagine a new federal holiday is being created for the month of March. Have each student nominate a woman for this honor. Each student, or in groups, should then explain and defend to the class their choice. Once everyone has finished, the class can then vote on the nominees.