Youth

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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The world—and Cosmopolitan—has given a lot of air time to the fact that we need more women in office, and major efforts to get them there are working: An unprecedented number of women have now been elected to national, state, and local positions. For the most part, though, that’s where the story has stopped. But what about what happens next—what’s it like for these women once they actually start their jobs? Sure, we as voters can get them elected, but are we doing enough to make them successful?

Early last year, Cosmopolitan, in partnership with Pivotal Ventures, set out to answer this question for How to Succeed in Office, our project that details the hurdles elected women face—and how everyone should be invested in getting them the help they need. After months of reporting, we were ready to ask another big question: How do you feel about all this? So in January 2024, we commissioned a nationally representative survey of more than 2,100 people ages 18 and older to understand how American women think about their counterparts in political positions. And you had…a lot to say.

For starters, pretty much everyone thinks the entire country would be better off if more women held office. And nearly 9 in 10 of you agree that it’s important for your own lives that elected women are able to do their jobs well. (The groups most likely to feel this way are LGBTQ+ women at 96 percent, and millennial women at 91 percent.) Honestly, given the state of our post-Dobbs world, this tracks. (Cue: a not-so-subtle reminder to VOTE this fall, even if things feel bleak.)

Another result that tracks for any woman living pretty much anywhere these days: The most significant barrier to success you think elected women face is sexism. Women of color feel strongly on this front (54 percent would expect to face sexism in an elected job), and Black women in particular are more likely than white women (46 versus 31 percent) to believe it’s very challenging for women in office to be successful at their jobs, period. Black women (59 percent) are also more likely than Hispanic women (47 percent) and white women (45 percent) to say female politicians are criticized much more often than male ones are by their peers.

Read here the full article published by Cosmopolitan on 13 May 2024.

Image by Cosmopolitan

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Jakarta Indonesia — UN Women Indonesia marked the annual United Nations 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign 2023 by inviting young people to learn about how to combat violence perpetrated online.

Entitled “Combating Online Gender-based Violence, Misinformation, Disinformation, and Hoaxes to Support Women's Leadership in Politics” the workshop was held in South Tangerang, Banten Province. The 16 participants -- young digital activists from various provinces and backgrounds – learned about this form of violence, gender representation disparities, and online violence against women politicians, as well as the important role of young people in addressing these problems.

The largest group of potential voters in the recent elections were the 8 million aged 17-30; they make up more than 31 per cent of total voters. The young generation, especially Gen Z (those in their teens to early 20s) born in the digital age, can play a crucial role in preventing and combating online gender-based violence, misinformation, and fake news or hoaxes.

Click here to read the full article published by UN Women Asia and the Pacific on 1 May 2024.

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The Women Deliver Emerging Leaders for Change Program is a two-year leadership program that supports passionate young activists with the resources, platforms, connections, and trainings necessary to amplify and achieve their advocacy goals. Women Deliver, with its strong commitment to both gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), has a strong history of equitable youth engagement and co-leadership.  

The Emerging Leaders Program is a focused, well-resourced, thematically-bound program that will co-create each Emerging Leader’s advocacy journey with them. It is the result of us:  

• Taking stock of a decade’s worth of lessons learned 
• Reflecting on our own transformation as an organization 
• Conducting numerous consultations with youth and partners in the field 

Women Deliver will work with each Emerging Leader on developing their journey with flexible funding, support, trainings, and resources.

Who Is Eligible for the Program? 

1. Young people (aged 15-29) of any gender and sexual identity who: 

2. Live and work in Burundi 🇧🇮, Ethiopia 🇪🇹, Kenya 🇰🇪, Rwanda 🇷🇼, Tanzania 🇹🇿, or Uganda 🇺🇬

3. Advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and/or gender equality, particularly focusing on advocacy that affects adolescent girls within their communities. Preference will be given for those interested or experienced in our focus issue areas: universal health coverage, the climate crisis, and countering the anti-rights movement.

Apply here before the 30 May 2024, at 11:59 pm (23:59) EAT.

Image by Women Deliver

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Several Indonesian thinktanks have unofficially assessed that female representation in Indonesia’s national parliament (DPR) for the term 2024-2029 would stand at about 19.65 per cent. If this proves correct, the proportion of women legislators in the new government will be lower than in previous years. During the 2019-2024 term, women’s representation in the DPR was at 20.9 per cent, surpassing 17.32 per cent after the 2014 elections, whereas during Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s presidency (2004 and 2009 elections), women legislators accounted for only 11.1 and 17.86 per cent of legislators, respectively.

While improvements in Indonesia’s electoral system and the internal structures of political parties are needed to provide more opportunities for women to participate in politics, the cultural attitudes of young voters (17-40 years old) towards gender roles and female political leadership are also crucial. As the most significant demographic of voters in the recent elections, at 56 per cent of the electorate, Indonesia’s youth wield significant influence. Examining their current attitudes toward gender equality is essential for envisioning the future of women’s political participation and leadership.

Read here the full article published by Fulcrum on 24 April 2024.

Photo by Fulcrum

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