Youth

In a landmark move, the Nigerian House of Representatives has taken a significant step towards empowering women in politics.

Spearheaded by one of the female lawmakers, Blessing Amadi, the House adopted a motion to establish a dedicated department within the Ministry of Women Affairs, complete with adequate funding to support and train women in politics.

The department will also work to integrate the importance of women’s political leadership into the secondary school curriculum.

The Speaker Tajudeen Abbas tasked the relevant committees with organizing training and seminars for women interested in running for office, particularly in rural areas, recognizing that politics begins at the grassroots level.

Amadi, a champion for women’s rights and a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party, highlighted the stark underrepresentation of women in politics at both national and subnational levels, emphasizing the need for change.

She said, “Women are holding less than eight per cent of seats in both National and state Assemblies. We are aware that societal factors such as cultural or religious norms, marriage, indigeneship etc., impede women’s participation and representation in politics.

Read here the full article published by Urban Woman on 10 July 2024.

Image by Urban Woman

Galloway, N.J. – Did you know that New Jersey has never sent a woman to the U.S. Senate? Or that New Jersey ranks 23rd among the 50 states in the proportion of women serving in its legislature?

To address women’s underrepresentation in politics, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), housed at Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus, hosts the Susan N. Wilson NEW Leadership residential program, which introduces college women to the world of politics and successful women leaders in the field to encourage them to consider how the political process plays a role in their daily lives.

Two Stockton University students, Rachel Dunlap, from Newark, and Detty-Maidanove Exantus, from Pleasantville, were sponsored by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy to attend the program this June.

“The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton is pleased to support students who want to attend this unique leadership program designed to increase the representation of women in politics,” said Tina Zappile, director of the center. “In this powerful training, our students learn how to be more involved in the political process, whether through a career in public service, work in the private sector, or community involvement. The voices of Detty and Rachel, along with other Stockton NEWL alumni, are critical for a thriving democracy.”

For Dunlap, an Africana Studies major, the program was a “welcoming environment” that allowed her to experience perspectives different from her own in an empowering space.

“We were accepted from the moment we got there to the very end. It was an amazing opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded women who constantly encouraged and supported other women, even though we didn’t know each other,” Dunlap said. “To a certain extent, I believe that my personal experiences and background allowed me to have a different perspective on different political and global issues that we were discussing. But our differences in perspectives were unifying and understood on an intellectual level, allowing us to empower each other to be better scholars and activists.”

Read here the full article published by the Stockton University on 9 July 2024.

Image by Stockton University

Milica Borjanic is a vocal advocate for youth rights in Serbia and programme manager with The National Youth Council of Serbia (KOMS), as the highest independent representative body of the youth in Serbia. Last year, she was one of the participants of the UN Women's training for trainers on women's political participation and leadership.

"Doing politics means deciding on the socio-political context in which we will be living thus having a direct impact on the quality of our life. For this reason, it is very important that women play an active role in creating conditions for gender equality and opportunities for the development of conditions for a better and equal treatment of women.

More and more women are getting involved in political life albeit many of them, unfortunately, pro forma- for the sake of fulfilling a certain quota. We can prevent this kind of abuse of gender equality mechanisms by promoting and showcasing examples of women who fought for decision-making positions and paved the way for other women to follow in their footsteps. 

However, when we look at the percentage of women in the total population, and then on the other hand, we look at the percentage of women present in institutions and in decision-making positions, we will understand that these two percentages are not only not equal, but that there is a drastic difference and much smaller number of women included in the decision-making processes.

Read here the full article published by UN Women on 4 July 2024.

Women in South India have made significant strides in various fields, but politics remains a challenging arena. Despite the region's progressive reputation, female politicians face numerous barriers in their careers. This blog post explores the challenges and achievements of ladies in politics in South India, offering valuable insights into their journey and the ongoing efforts to enhance their representation.

Historical Context

Male leaders have historically dominated the political landscape of South India. However, women have gradually emerged as influential figures. The journey began with pioneering leaders like Janaki Ramachandran in Tamil Nadu and K. R. Gouri Amma in Kerala, who broke societal norms to pave the way for future generations.

Read here the full article published by The News Minute on 27 June 2024.

Image by The News Minute

In an interview with Euronews, gender equality experts believe that the European institutions remain abstract elements in women's lives and a space fuelled by gender stereotypes.

An increase in the representation of far-right parties in the European Parliament could become a reality in the next European elections.

According to an exclusive poll carried out by Ipsos for Euronews, the parties of the radical and Eurosceptic right could have an expected 30 more seats in the European Parliament, leading the polls in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria.

The representation of the far-right at a national level has also increased. In Portugal, the Chega party went from 12 to 50 MPs in the legislative elections on 10 March 2024.

This political trend could mean a change in women's rights, moving the European Union away from a feminist agenda.

At a national level, some governments in Europe have already passed laws that could put women in hostile situations. This is the case in Italy, which passed a law allowing anti-abortion groups access to women considering a voluntary termination of pregnancy.

Oxfam's "A Feminist Europe?" study states that "the growing backlash against gender equality across Europe can be seen internally through the growing electoral success and representation of far-right populist groups in countries such as Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands."

Read here the full article published by Euronews on 12 May 2024.

Image by Euronews

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