Women's Leadership

Female legislators in the National Assembly have formed a team to lobby their male colleagues for the purpose of ensuring the inclusion of women’s rights in the nation’s constitution.

Several attempts made by the women in parliament over the years to ensure the entrenchment of womens rights in the Nigerian constitution had been futile.

However, a former minority leader of the Senate who sponsored the GEO bill in the 8th National Assembly, Senator Biodun Olujimi, said the female federal lawmakers were not taking chances this time round over the matter.

She said they would speak with one voice and lobby their male colleagues to ensure that the rights of women were included in the amended 1999 Constitution.

Click here to read the full article published on 13 Setember by Punch.

Women in Swiss parliament are now allowed to show their shoulders and arms after the Council of States relaxed its clothing regulations for women.

Hans Stöckli, current president of the house, announced at 3:15pm on Tuesday “shoulder-free is now possible”. Stöckli said he considered the ban to be “antiquated”.

Previously, women in the chamber were required to be covered up to at least their elbows. The dress code applies not only to members of parliament but also to anyone else in the chamber, including journalists.

Under the current dress code, “women must wear clothing which is appropriate to their official status”. What is appropriate is the decision of “the responsible person concerned”. 

Click here to read the full article published on 9 Setember by The Local CH.

By Akshi,

As we brace ourselves for 2021, we thought we’d leave you with a collection of some of our favourite memories about women in politics from 2020. We’ve picked moments that left us feeling inspired, proud, glad, and sometimes amused. Hope you enjoy this curation - tell us if these were your favourite too, or if we’ve missed any.

When Bolivia’s new Left government created a new ministry for “culture, depatriarchalization and decolonization”, with the aim to eliminate colonialism and male domination, to reverse the inequality between men and women, as well as between nationalities.

When the Swiss Parliament finally relaxed its “antiquated” dress code that banned women from wearing dresses revealing the shoulders and arms. 

Click here to read the full article published by Women Lead on 22 December.

By Moira Forbes,

As the world wrestles with a series of converging crises catalyzed by Covid-19, this year has been a reminder of how ephemeral and volatile power can be, how much of it is at play, where systemic imbalances exist, and how quickly shifts can unfold.

And nowhere is that more apparent than in women’s power today and how it’s faring on the world stage. The pandemic’s social and economic tolls have disproportionately impacted women, exacerbating centuries-old inequalities and threatening the gains we’ve spent decades fighting for. The consequences of ignoring or not solving for this will be dire for all.

Click here to read the full article published by Forbes on 8 December.

Across the world, the Coronavirus has not only become another disaster to wipe us all out of the earth but has also put the spotlight on the level of competence of our political leaders.

In Africa, the case is not different as governments are putting in draconian measures to halt the spread just like their counterparts in Europe and Asia.

With the eminent role health ministers are playing in fighting this global pandemic, I delved into a special finding to uncover the female faces leading the battle and definitely deserve commendation for the works, they have put in so far albeit sorrowful to know that, their works are faced with several challenges because of the under-resourced facilities they manage and how they will be risking their lives in the battle against the virus.

Beyond their competence, they have proven to stand tall in the delivery of their duties as their role in this pandemic go beyond providing counsel to the presidents but an opportunity to manage the global crisis, as they provide all kinds of support to doctors, nurses, and other health workers in their countries while also collaborating with their counterparts to make sure patients receive treatment and citizens are well informed about the situation in their countries.

Click here to read the full article published by Peacefmonline on 10 April 2020.

Who’d have thought to throw a press conference for kids? Only in Norway it appears. Earlier this week, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg decided to hold a press conference on the coronavirus just for kids and children’s media.
“It has been special days … Many children think it is scary, but it is OK to be scared when so many things happen at the same time,” Solberg reassured her audience.

Her office released a statement prior to the conference, explaining that, “…many children have questions about the coronavirus. This is why the government is organising a separate press conference for children.”

Click here to read the full article published by Women´s Agenda on 18 March.