Women's Leadership
Main navigation
The Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, last month committed to a revitalised gender equality declaration. This declaration, spearheaded by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, was subject to extensive consultation across the region. The first of its seven priority areas is “political leadership and regionalism”, in which leaders have committed to accelerated actions to strengthen the participation of women and girls in all their diversity “at all levels of leadership and decision-making”.
In various ways, women’s political leadership in the Pacific has changed over the last ten years. In 2023, women were represented in the parliament of every national jurisdiction in the region for the first time. Before then, no woman had ever been elected to the legislature of the Federated States of Micronesia. In 2021, the region saw its first female head of government, Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, elected in Samoa. This followed the region’s first female head of state, Hilda Heine, in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in 2016. Women have held diverse executive portfolios in office, serving as deputy prime minister and leader of the opposition, and as ministers for foreign affairs, education, home affairs and justice, to name a few.
Click here to read the full article published by The Fiji Times on 8 January 2024.
Image by The Fiji Times
.
Amidst the global struggle against gender-based violence, the plight of women in politics battling this pervasive issue remains alarmingly prevalent in Liberia. In a bold initiative led by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) tagged “Breaking the Silence,” emerging as a beacon of hope, dedicated to unearthing the concealed narratives of physical violence endured by women in politics who defiantly challenge societal norms and tirelessly advocate for substantive change.
This groundbreaking endeavor transcends the mere revelation of untold stories, delving deep into the multifaceted challenges encountered by women in their political pursuits. The project aspires to carve a path toward a more inclusive and secure political landscape in Liberia, where women can participate without fear or hindrance.
Click here to read the full article published by Front Page Africa on 04 January 2024.
Image by Front Page Africa
.
This is despite guarantees of equality as provided for in the constitution of Zimbabwe, chapter 4 part 3 section (80) (1), which states: “Every woman has the full and equal dignity of the person with men and this includes equal opportunities in political, economic and social activities.”
In chapter 5 part 3 section (104) (4) the constitution states: “In appointing Ministers and Deputy Ministers, the President must be guided by considerations of regional and gender balance.”
Top human rights lawyer Passmore Nyakureba said political space is also non-existent for women because of the weaponisation of political violence against them.
Click here to read the full article published by The Zimbabwean on 06 January 2024.
Image by: The Zimbabwean
.
Online abuse of female politicians is becoming more extreme and is having an impact in discouraging prospective female candidates.
IRELAND does not have enough women in political life.
Ahead of next year’s local and European elections, there will be a renewed focus on attracting more females into public life.
A report by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in 2023 criticised the poor progress in raising the number of women TDs.
It said the State must address the structural barriers preventing women running from office.
And a University of Galway study found aggression against women on social media has become pervasive.
Here, Fianna Fail TD Niamh Smyth explains the forces that are still holding women back.
Click here to read the full article published by The Irish Sun on 29 December 2023.
Image by The Irish Sun
.
The real testimony to women’s political rights will come when they hold significant positions of power across the political spectrum
It is being seen as a significant step forward for women in politics that they are emerging as a crucial voting bloc in elections, and the recent assembly elections proved this in spades. More women are voting and have a greater deciding factor on which political party succeeds. They are playing roles in booth management, canvassing and using community initiatives to spread awareness about the need to vote wisely and whom to reward for which scheme.
Click here to read the full article published by the Hindustan Times on 16 December 2023.
Image by Hindustan Times
.
A new report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has shed light on some of the key barriers preventing greater women's representation in Ghana's political sphere.
The report, titled "Under-representation of women in leadership in Ghana," and published in September this year, analyzes factors contributing to the persistently low numbers of women elected to political office at both national and local levels in the country.
According to the UNDP, "intimidation, lack of recognition and illiteracy were among the major obstacles" facing women seeking political office, citing a previous study examining representation in Nadowli District.
Click here to read the full article published by Modern Ghana on 14 December 2023.
Image by Modern Ghana
.