Women's Leadership
When will the next general election be? No one knows. Well, perhaps Rishi Sunak does; the Prime Minister not-so-helpfully said he had a ‘working assumption’ that it would take place in late 2024.
As it happens, this will be a busy year in politics. Americans will also be going to the polls – the first time our two countries’ electoral cycles have synced since 1992. Already, there have been warnings about global disinformation campaigns – fuelled by AI and spread on social media – and what they may do to our already fragmented countries.
In total, over 60 nations – from India, Pakistan and Mexico to Taiwan and Ukraine – will be going to the polls before the end of 2024. Just under half of the world’s population is eligble to vote in some form of election this year, making it the biggest year for democracy in history. The world may well be a very different place by the time 2025 comes around.
Click here to read the full article published by Elle on 22 February 2024.
Image source: Elle
Recently, the minister responsible for women, family and community development, Nancy Shukri, reportedly said the 30% quota for women previously set by the government should be reconsidered given the current situation that “42% of women actively participated in decision making roles within the public service sector”.
The minister reportedly said many women now possess the qualifications, including experience and academic achievements, to compete equally with men in decision-making positions across various service levels.
“Considering that we have already surpassed the 30 per cent mark, reaching 42 per cent in the public sector, setting a new target at 50 per cent or beyond should not be hindered by ceilings or limitations,” she added.
Click here to read the full article published by Aliran on 19 February 2024.
Image source: Aliran
On 15 February 2024, an article titled “Why Cambodia needs to incorporate more women into its foreign policy process” was published on the Diplomat and has caught attention from various readers including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, which is also now requesting for clarifications from the author. While the article highlighted the significance of having more women in leadership and decision-making positions and some important statistical facts on the disproportionately low number of women in politics and diplomatic field, it failed to acknowledge the efforts and significant progress made by the government over the years to promote and mainstream gender equality in all sectors.
In Cambodia, commitments to empower and increase women leadership come from the highest level of the government. As often heard, women are considered as the “backbone of the society and economy”. Gender equality has been one of the government’s priority agendas, as manifested in various national policies and strategies, the Rectangular Strategy, the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP), the five-year Strategic Neary Rattanak, and National Plan for Sub-National Democratic Development (NP-SNDD), just to name a few.
Click here to read the full article published by the Khmer Times on 20 February 2024.
Image source: Khmer Times
For standing up to the dangerous elements of today’s political reality—racial and socio-economic disparities and crackdowns on dissent, among them—both Robredo in the Philippines and Márquez in Colombia faced threats online and offline.
The same year, in Colombia, Francia Márquez showed up in tough times. Running for president in a political terrain hardly conducive for a black candidate, let alone a rural single mother, she reduced hundreds to tears with her speech: ‘We’re not descendants of slaves. We’re descendants of free men and women who were enslaved.’
The two women have been strong voices of reason advocating against authoritarian environments in their respective democracies, as two documentaries—belonging to separate parts of the world but bearing themes that rhyme—showed at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah recently. .
Click here to read the full article published by Feminism in India on 19 February 2024.
Image source: Feminism in India
Women's political leadership is evolving, with both progress and challenges. Inspiring figures like Angela Merkel and Jacinda Ardern have made strides, but achieving gender parity is still over a century away. Local leadership and advocacy play crucial roles in this ongoing journey.
In the evolving landscape of global politics, a compelling narrative unfolds, revealing both progress and setbacks in the quest for gender parity in political representation. As we venture into 2024, the strides and struggles of women vying for political leadership positions paint a complex picture of the current state and the road ahead. While some regions celebrate breakthroughs, others confront enduring barriers, underscoring the multifaceted challenges women face in their political journeys.
The Landscape of Women in Politics: A Global Overview
At the forefront of this narrative are the 28 formidable women who, as of this year, helm the leadership as Heads of State or Government across 26 countries. Icons like Angela Merkel and Jacinda Ardern epitomize the resilience and visionary leadership that have paved the way for future generations. Despite these inspiring figures, the sobering reality emerges that achieving gender parity in executive government roles remains a distant goal, predicted to be over a century away. The underrepresentation extends to national parliaments, where women constitute a mere 26.5% of parliamentarians globally. However, there are glimmers of hope, as evidenced by Rwanda's remarkable 61.3% female representation in its parliament, leading the world in this aspect, with Cuba and New Zealand also making notable strides forward.
Click here to read the full article published by the BNN Breakings News on 18 February 2024.
Image source: BNN Breaking News
Ethical principles help us make positive and just decisions that contribute to the common good of all.
Reliability, honesty, integrity, fairness, and collaboration are a few of many ethical behaviors that fulfill basic human needs, prevent harm to people and the environment, and create credibility and trust. The consequences of unethical decisions include loss of trust, authoritarianism, autocracy, nepotism and corruption.
The controversial bill that reduced wetlands protection illustrates the importance of ethical decision-making. Despite opposition from wetland scientists and rejected attempts to amend the bill, legislators passed House Bill 1383 in a party-line vote, 64-30 in the House, 32-17 in the Senate. Some media reports stated that several legislators who voted in favor of the bill have ties to land development companies and lobbyist groups.
Click here to read the full article published by the Daily Journal on 15 February 2024.
Image source: League of Women Voters
Women are often dynamic leaders of change, galvanizing women and men to get involved, claim their rights, strengthen their communities and protect their planet. Their participation is fundamental to democratic governance. Yet women still have far to go towards equal representation in positions of power and leadership, whether in corporate boardrooms or presidential cabinets.
Discriminatory laws and practices hold women back, as do limits on education, income and time away from caregiving. Just over 21 per cent of parliamentarians are women, up from around 11 per cent when the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women took place in 1995. While women have made inroads in many areas, at the current pace of change, we won’t see gender parity in governments, parliaments or peace tables until the next century.
The Beijing conference agreement, known as the Platform for Action, dubbed women in power and decision-making one of 12 critical areas of concern. It made two essential commitments to change. First, it called for measures ensuring women’s equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision-making. Political quotas or positive measures are examples of these. By reserving seats or candidacies for women, they have driven dramatic increases in the number of women leaders in some countries. Second, the Platform urged steps to increase women’s ability to participate. Training on leadership, public speaking and political campaigning, for instance, grooms women to compete, win and be good leaders who can inspire others.
Women have a right to equal participation. Once in leadership roles, they can make a difference that benefits whole societies. The Inter-Parliamentary Union has found that women politicians give more attention to social welfare and legal protections, and improve trust. Taking up the Beijing commitments and rallying around women’s leadership could accelerate progress towards equal participation—right now. We can’t wait until the next century!