Why so few women in high politics in the Czech Republic?

After weeks of negotiations the Czech Republic has a new government, made up of the same three parties which were in the previous coalition. Prime Minister Stanislav Gross largely delivered on a pledge to have more young faces on the front benches. Mr Gross had also promised more women on the front benches, but of 18 cabinet members only two are female.

The new government, photo: CTK

New Czech Prime Minister Stanislav Gross presented his cabinet at Prague on Wednesday Castle. The Social Democrat leader largely delivered on a vow to have more young people in his team, with eight cabinet ministers under the age of 40. But a promise to have more female ministers was not really fulfilled - only the health and education portfolios were given to women.

"In Social Democratic cabinets they aren't used to having women in the cabinet. When there was four years of [Milos] Zeman's cabinet there wasn't a single woman in the Social Democratic cabinet - that's something you cannot find all over Europe."

Political analyst Vladimira Dvorakova says there is simply no tradition of women in high politics in the Czech Republic.

"One of the reasons why women do not participate in politics is because here the character of politics is very aggressive, very competitive. It sometimes even goes against human dignity!"

Milada Emmerova, the new health minister, photo: CTK

Czech politics can indeed be high in testosterone at times. On top of that, says MP Eva Novakova of Mr Gross's Social Democratic Party, the lack of women in cabinet is in many ways simply a reflection of Czech society in general.

"It's a tradition here in the Czech Republic that even other women like bosses to be men. It's a traditional thing so I don't think it's Mr Gross's fault really."

The two women, who are in the cabinet, Petra Buzkova who is the education minister and Milada Emmerova the new health minister, are both in what you might call 'caring' ministries. And the three other women who have been in cabinet since 1993 were all health ministers as well - does it bother you that women don't get appointed to more 'important' posts?

"Well, it's also the traditional role of women here in this republic to take care of children. I can imagine really women being in the Defence Ministry or whatever, but I don't think the men would be willing to put them in that place. So it's part of the tradition of this republic and we are even happy that we have these two women in the government."

Petra Buzkova, the education minister, photo: CTK

A poll out this week suggests two-thirds of Czechs would actually like to see more women in high politics. In order to bring that about, MP Eva Novakova says she is favour of the kind of quota system used in countries like Sweden. But analyst Vladimira Dvorakova is not in favour.

"I am strongly against any quota. But I think we have to change the atmosphere in the society, to put pressure on the political parties. That means that the political parties which have no women in their leadership or in high posts in parliament or ministers - that people will say 'it's not normal'. And they will not vote for them. And I think this has to be pressure from society, not a quota. I don't think it's necessary to have women in some posts just because they are women. It's up to women to start to work in politics, to be really involved in politics and then take the posts."

But the day a Czech woman reaches the post of defence or foreign minister, not to mention prime minister, does still seem a long way off.