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Kirsten
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Empowering Women and Politics
June 7, 2007 - 02:52 PM
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One of the MDGs is about gender equality and empowering women. My question is how do we encourage more women to enter the world of politics? Studies have shown that women are more likely to get involved in politics if they are involved from a young age. What are your thoughts?
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Shweta
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 9, 2007 - 05:34 AM
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I think that apart from studies/education , opportunities and avenues are also significant in bringing change.
So when it comes to empowering women, just working with women may not be sufficient. Working with men and others in communities will also help in creating respect for right of women. There has to be space for women to express and enjoy thier rights. Why should they always need to fight for their rights? I think others should anyway be prepared to respect women and thier power.
This post was edited on: 2007-06-09 at 05:35 AM by: Shweta-sj
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~ mostafa ~
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 9, 2007 - 07:45 AM
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kirstenjordan wrote:
One of the MDGs is about gender equality and empowering women. My question is how do we encourage more women to enter the world of politics? Studies have shown that women are more likely to get involved in politics if they are involved from a young age. What are your thoughts?
Hi,
Nice topic.
I believe to empower women to more actively participate in social activities and have a stronger voice in politics, and decision making, we should let them know of their own capabilities and that they are also very capable in decision making (even with more consideration on dicipline and more exact).
Besides, we should open men's mind and let them know that they are not superior.
Anyone who is wiser, and has more knowldge for a position, is more suitable for the job, regardless of the gender.
bests,
Mostafa
(I'm a man of course!  . At least you can be happy that I am one of those men who's open minded. na? 
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~ mostafa ~
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 9, 2007 - 07:45 AM
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Shweta-sj wrote:
I think that apart from studies/education , opportunities and avenues are also significant in bringing change.
So when it comes to empowering women, just working with women may not be sufficient. Working with men and others in communities will also help in creating respect for right of women. There has to be space for women to express and enjoy thier rights. Why should they always need to fight for their rights? I think others should anyway be prepared to respect women and thier power.
This post was edited on: 2007-06-09 at 05:35 AM by: Shweta-sj
This is true.
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Sean Amos
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 14, 2007 - 04:58 AM
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Women must have an active role in social life. Their participation must be reinforced, not only with regard to demographic policies but also in other social and economical policies.
Women in Africa live in a permanent state of anxiety. With regard to the sexual mutilation of women, it is essential to keep in mind that the only legitimate violence is the one carried out in self-defense. Women must be respected, above all, as mothers.
Women must be recognized with the dignity inherent to their condition as mothers - a professional dignity enabling their active participation in the political and social objectives of countries. As they are among the main victims of conflicts, wars and discrimination, their protection must be promoted in all the societies, especially through the recognition of their rights.
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~ mostafa ~
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 14, 2007 - 06:04 AM
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Seanamo wrote:
Women must have an active role in social life. Their participation must be reinforced, not only with regard to demographic policies but also in other social and economical policies.
Women in Africa live in a permanent state of anxiety. With regard to the sexual mutilation of women, it is essential to keep in mind that the only legitimate violence is the one carried out in self-defense. Women must be respected, above all, as mothers.
Women must be recognized with the dignity inherent to their condition as mothers - a professional dignity enabling their active participation in the political and social objectives of countries. As they are among the main victims of conflicts, wars and discrimination, their protection must be promoted in all the societies, especially through the recognition of their rights.
We should respect women's rights, respect them, and do not abuse them.
Then we can expect more of them to actively participate in social activities.
Bests,
Mostafa
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NANA
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 14, 2007 - 10:00 AM
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[quote]
Women are very important persons in this world and they deserve to be respected.Respect is the only thing that can easily encourage the women to participate in politics.
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ntadepalli
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 15, 2007 - 06:19 AM
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Women need to overcome the barriers of their own creation by being financially independent and psychologically bold enough to put their ideas forward. The society must give them enough oppertunities to help themselves.
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.
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 15, 2007 - 08:32 AM
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That’s why we need affirmative action on issues pertaining to empowering women and politics!
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prieten47
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 15, 2007 - 08:26 PM
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The Green Party in Germany has a mandatory 50-50 allocation of party positions and elected government seats for men and women party members. Sometimes this causes problems when not enough women can be found to fill positions/seats! But I think such quotas are very important to achieving equality for women. Of course, men still try to keep all the "most important" positions for themselves, but it is a start.
This doesn't help women much in those countries where there is no democracy or where women are not allowed to vote. I think women from such countries should be given political asylum in the West.
But where they can, women need to vote their interests: here in Japan, women have equal rights, but in practice, they have little power. The conservative government is always haranguing Japan's women to have more children, while making it easier for companies to demand unpaid overtime work! Where are parents supposed to find the time or money to have children? But Japanese women always vote for the same conservative party. Why?
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Becky
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 18, 2007 - 10:01 AM
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This is an interesting thread and I have to agree with all that has been said so far. I would add that from an early age women need to be taught/encouraged to not just think for themselves but know that their opinion is valid. Socially, women often absorb the idea that we should be quiet, unassertive and peacemakers. For example, my mom never spoke about politics and when I would ask her she would say "I don't talk about that." Traditionally, women have been taught to keep their ideas to themselves and avoid confrontation (hence, becoming unassertive). Thus, from a young age girls need to know its okay to speak up for what they think, feel, and believe even if its contradictory to others around them. They need to be taught how to defend their ideas, all qualities of a good politician. Historically, women were encouraged to vote for whomever their husband supported, whether or not she did. Although on the decline, this philosophy is still present in the older generations.
Finally, at least in the US, becoming a higher-ranking politician (governor, US Congress, etc.) requires having money and strong sociopolitical connections, above anything else. Unfortunately, this means that many good candidates never even get to run because of lack of funding. I'm not entirely sure how this might work against women except that US studies show women still earn less than men in the same positions. So, I imagine that in fundraising efforts, it might be the same.
This post was edited on: 2007-06-18 at 10:02 AM by: rschack
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Amanda
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 18, 2007 - 10:18 PM
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I went to a conference on this a couple months ago. We had a bunch of guests speakers who were all women in politics. And then each table had a mentor who was either a woman in politics or some kind of management position. I'm glad events like that exist but I agree with rschack it has to start younger. Politics isn't just a career path you choose it's something you have to have the personality for. You need so much self confidence it forces others to have faith in you too, and you need to be willing to have the spotlight knowing that everything said about you after won't necessarily be good. I don't know exactly where that attitude that lets you just through yourself out there comes from, I would guess being told your worth something learning that it's ok to make mistakes, just generally being nurtured and allowed to express yourself. So if we expect to see more girls in politics then that’s the atmosphere we need to provide them with.
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prieten47
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 19, 2007 - 09:15 PM
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Bellis wrote:
I went to a conference on this a couple months ago. We had a bunch of guests speakers who were all women in politics. And then each table had a mentor who was either a woman in politics or some kind of management position. I'm glad events like that exist but I agree with rschack it has to start younger. Politics isn't just a career path you choose it's something you have to have the personality for. You need so much self confidence it forces others to have faith in you too, and you need to be willing to have the spotlight knowing that everything said about you after won't necessarily be good. I don't know exactly where that attitude that lets you just through yourself out there comes from, I would guess being told your worth something learning that it's ok to make mistakes, just generally being nurtured and allowed to express yourself. So if we expect to see more girls in politics then that’s the atmosphere we need to provide them with.
This may be true in American style "winner take all" elections. But most democracies in the world are British-style parliamentary democracies where voters are presented with a political party's list of candidates "take it or leave it". People in these countries vote more for political parties and not candidates. In such countries as Germany the political parties have adopted quotas for women candidates, the Green Party setting the quota at 50 percent.
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Amanda
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 20, 2007 - 12:48 AM
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I live in Canada and we do mostly vote for parties. I also spent a month this year studying Norway to 'represent' them at our school boards Model United Nations conference. I know the Storting (Norway's parliament) pretty well and they run on a quota of 40%. In my opinion even in a quota system a woman interested in politics still has to possess the qualities I mentioned earlier. They need to make the speeches and be a figurehead. And in a way you need those qualities more for yourself then for other people. Who's going to consider running if they don't feel they can get people's attention or have the confidence to put there ideas out their and take criticism. Also that percentage quota doesn’t give you the position you want you still have to fight the good fight for that.
You also have to consider the elections that aren’t public. You almost have to wonder if the convention floor is more nerve wracking then the public election. Votes for positions within the party can be a lot more difficult and take a lot more skill than the public elections. Make no doubt about it on that convention floor your party members are considering you and only you there’s no party position to hide behind.
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Sean Amos
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
June 20, 2007 - 06:32 AM
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Women should have equal seats in parliament or political bodies of respective country's to ensure they are well represented. Those women elected on the other hand should ensure they put the other women's issues as a first priority.
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