Women's Leadership

This compilation of resources from across Canada and around the world are some of the many tools, best practices, projects, research and ideas which have been pulled together with the hopes of promoting and achieving parity in municipal representation. The hub is intended to be a complement to the Run, Win, Lean, Toward Parity in Municipal Politics, a sectoral framework with the intention to support the attainment and retention of gender parity in local government. Based on a pan-Canadian extensive consultation about the challenges and opportunities to promote diverse and equal representation in local leadership. The Toward Parity project categorized these realties into four pillars of intervention.

Click here to access the website.

According to the polls, the UK is on its way to having its third female Prime Minister. This is good news, and it’s made even better by the fact that Liz Truss (as Theresa May before her) can hardly be described as having all the qualities you’d ideally want in a Prime Minister. At long last, the top jobs seem to be up for grabs by women with all levels of ability, a luxury that men have long enjoyed. Though we are still very far from real equality in politics: a dishevelled-looking woman who behaves so chaotically — in her private live as much as in politics — as Boris Johnson did, would never become Prime Minister.

Click here to read the full article published by Evening Standard on 3 August 2022.

A compendium of ideas to reach gender parity in municipal politics

How can we begin to overcome the countless obstacles that are preventing women from fully participating in municipal politics? 

The suggestions in this Inventory were compiled following consultations we carried out across Canada, as part of FCM’s Toward Parity Project.

These actions are not official FCM recommendations. They are potential strategies that need to be assessed to determine whether they can be adapted to fit local realities and opportunities.

Click here to access the guide.

Africa has made significant progress in enhancing inclusive political participation and representation, mostly for women, youth and people living with disabilities. This report unpacks the trends and challenges of inclusive participation in Africa.

The domestication (though at varying levels) of global and regional normative frameworks such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, the African Youth Charter, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance has enhanced traction towards inclusive political participation across the continent. However, traction towards progressive legislative frameworks to enhance political participation and representation of refugees remains weak. The thrust for a multigenerational and multidimensional focus in addressing barriers to inclusive political participation and representation should be strengthened.

Click here to access the report.

There are currently just 30 female presidents and prime ministers worldwide. Moldova and Barbados are the only two countries where women occupy both the positions of president and prime minister, while Bangladesh is the only nation where a woman has led for more years than a man over the last half century.

Clearly, women leaders matter as a question of gender equity, but as my research shows, they may also matter to women in other ways.

I looked at four different female presidents in three different political systems: the Philippines’ first female president, Corazon Aquino (1986–1992) and its second female leader, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001–2010); Indonesia’s first and only female president, Megawati Sukarnoputri (2001–2004); and Sri Lanka’s Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK).

Click here to read the full article published by The Conversation on 27 July 2022.

The way politics is played in Melanesian countries has very little national inclusivity about it – in terms of participation by and representation of both men and women at the national level. The role of women is, almost exclusively, to vote, not to actively play the game itself. To use soccer as an analogy: women can be coaches, spectators and fans. But if a woman wants to go into the field and play, this is no game for her.

The foundation of this game is the political party system. In Vanuatu,  some might be interested in pursuing a platform based on principles, policies and development, but in reality the game played on the ground is about locking in numbers of votes first, usually through incentives, in order to be considered by the party. It is an expensive exercise better played by ‘businessmen’ types – because in communities, your legitimacy is based on your ability to show up and provide material ‘stuff’.

Click here to read the full article published by DevPolicy on 27 July 2022.