It is obvious that all raised points regarding women representation (not presentation) in political life is important and vital to women and the community as a whole, also women empowerment through acquiring knowledge and resources and control over their lives is pivotal to how they know their rights and fight for them, but my point is: Do women all through represent women interest, what about their engagement with their political identities and parties programs.

My question is: could women, who are engaged within parties, force their parties to consider women interests and needs at the top of their agenda. If they succeeded then men in this party would be able to reflect women interests, i. e. we need to push women interests and needs rather than mere presentation of women who might not represent women interest.

Another point regarding the diversity among women interests and needs, those needs are vary from those who lack basic essential needs: refugees, poor, and vulnerable groups to those who are fighting to have equal opportunities in several spheres. so how this diversity be represented and who is capable to represent "all" women interest and needs? For example in my country "Sudan" all people are poor but women are the poorer, but we have a number of women, might reach to some thousands, who are highly educated and empowered possessing different decisions making level: parliamentarians, professionals, lawyers, judgers Ministers, medical doctors and experts, on the other hands more than two thirds of Sudanese women (approximately)are illiterate lacking minimum essential needs to generate their lives, vulnerable and subject to different level of violence.

So how women needs be represented for this diversity? This was quite prominent when I was doing my M. Sc. research on “Sudanese women knowledge about their constitutional right’s”. The research findings reflected that: “Among the sample attitude towards women rights are restricted to the level of awareness on the concept of women rights and available rights at the constitution, also the ideological base or political party involvement play a role on determining women attitude towards women rights.

The attitude is highly positive, towards available women rights in the current constitutions, among women who’s their parties are involved in the constitution making process and vice versa for women who were not involved and their party didn’t participate in the constitution making process. This confirms the assumption that women are not a homogenous group rather they are affected by their political evolvement. The question remains: “who represent what”, “who determine which right is more essential than the other”??????

Thank you

Safia