Youth

MANGWE Rural District Council proportional representation Councillor Simphiwe Vuyelwa Mguni is among the Zimbabwean representatives attending the Southern Africa Academy for Young Women’s Empowerment in Malawi.

The event, which brings together 30 participants from South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Namibia, aims to enhance young women’s leadership and political engagement. Cllr Mguni is representing Zimbabwe alongside Ms Anna Sande and Mrs Tendai Chatikobo.

Her participation marks a major milestone, particularly as she represents a rural community under the Government’s 30 percent women’s quota system at the local government level, which was implemented during the 2023 harmonised elections.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), in collaboration with UN Women, is hosting the three-day event, which began on Tuesday and concludes tomorrow.

Read here the full article published by The Chronicle on 12 February 2025.

Image by The Chronicle

India, being the world’s largest democracy, envisions democratic participation as the cornerstone of India’s political system. Democratic decentralization or the grassroot level democracy is deeply embedded in ancient Indian philosophy and traditions.

The 73rd constitutional amendment in India, introduced in 1992 has elevated the concept of inclusive growth through democratic decentralization to a remarkable height.

Throughout Indian history, women have been at the forefront of political participation. Women’s representation in the first Lok Sabha was 5% which was increased to 15% during 2023 Lok Sabha. The Women representation percentage for 2023 Rajya Sabha was 13%. Additionally, Panchayati Raj institutions in India also ensure one-third reservation for female candidates out of the total number of seats. Currently, 20 Indian states have made provision for 50% women’s reservation in state PRIs.

Read here the full article published by Youth Ki Awaaz on 25 January 2025.

Image by Youth Ki Awaaz

Looking back on all of the women that I have met over the years, the oppression, lack of opportunities, and expectations that were placed upon them, all I see is strength—strength passed from mother to daughter. In today’s world, women are defining the rules of the political game and leadership. They are entering the political field as dynamic leaders, demanding and changing the politics of all domains.

Digital platforms have democratized access to political participation, enabling more women to engage actively in political spheres. Through technology, women can express themselves and engage with a relevant communication platform, thus eradicating barriers that have in the past limited women’s political engagement. This is not just a change of political power dynamics, but also a sign that the time has come for women to become masters of the future.

Read here the full article published by The Annapurna Express on 15 January 2025.

Image by The Annapurna Express

In the wake of Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed self-coup on December 3, South Korean citizens took to the streets to protect the country’s democracy, staging a massive protest led by women in their 20s and 30s. The participation of young female K-Pop fans in particular has drawn attention to women’s role in the peaceful protests, while images of Democratic Party spokeswoman Ahn Gwi-Ryeong defiantly grabbing a soldier’s rifle inspired worldwide admiration.

The strong political consciousness of South Korean women is far from a new phenomenon. 

Women have historically been at the forefront of resistance and activism, from women-led labor organizing in the 1970s under the Park Chung-hee dictatorship, to the 2016 protests against his daughter, former President Park Geun-hye. Candlelight movements – a repeated form of peaceful protest in South Korea – originated in vigils held in memory of two middle school girls accidentally killed by a U.S. military vehicle in 2002, and gained prominence during the protests against U.S. beef import (largely led by teenage girls) in 2008 and again during the protests leading up to the impeachment of Park in 2016.

Read here the full article published by The Diplomat on 31 December 2024.

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Since Bill Clinton’s election in 1996, a majority of women voters have backed Democratic presidential candidates. In contrast, men have generally favored Republican nominees. How might that gender gap play out this election cycle among the nation’s youngest voters?

In my new book, The Politics of Gen Z, I show that Gen Z women, those born after 1996, engaged at higher levels of politics than Gen Z men during the Trump presidency, including a wide range of both passive forms of politics (such as using social media to follow or post about politics, or discussing politics with friends and family) and active forms (like attending a protest rally or showing up for government meetings).  This finding is notable because women have historically engaged in fewer forms of political actions (save voting), at least until the 2010s.  Gen Z is the first generation of young women who are actually outperforming Gen Z men.  Moreover, Gen Z women are distinct from Gen Z men when it comes to the issues they prioritize and their embrace of liberal political views.

This growing ideological divide has fueled speculation that Gen Z men are becoming more conservative in reaction to the growing embrace of feminist values by Gen Z women. Little wonder, then, that Donald Trump is trying to reach young men by holding interviews with influencers such as Adin Ross and Logan Paul, whose audiences are largely young men. At the same time, Kamala Harris’s appearance on Call Your Daddy, which has millions of young women listeners, is a clear attempt to motivate young women to turnout to vote.

The youth vote (Americans aged 18-29) in the past two election cycles shows that the Trump campaign will likely face a harder challenge in securing the votes of young men than the Harris campaign will face when it comes to young women voters. In 2020, 67% of young women voted for Joe Biden, and a whopping 72% voted for House Democrats in 2022. But it is notable that a majority of young men voters (52%) still voted for Joe Biden, compared with 41% who voted for Trump. The young men’s vote for House Democrats improved in 2022, in which 54% of young men voted for Democrats.

Read here the full article published by Gender On The Ballot on 28 October 2024.

Image by Gender On The Ballot