Our Interviews

Winnie Byanyima discusses her background, what led her into politics and the challenges she faced as a woman in Uganda. Winnie Byanyima, Director of the UNDP Gender Team, Bureau for Development Policy, was elected three times to the Uganda legislature and was a founder of the Assembly’s women’s…

“Certainly networking with women is important, and that is one of the things I talk about when I go out and talk about why we don’t have more women in politics.” - Anne McLellan iKNOW Politics: You were elected to the Canadian House of Common for 13 years and you’ve been a Senior Cabinet Minister…

“People say, we have bad government or bad politicians, then you should go and make it better – if you stay behind, you cannot blame anybody for that. I would urge the people who are able and not scared, to do this.” - Inese Vaidere iKNOW Politics: You are a member of the European Parliament and a…

"I think as a woman you should be principled and your campaign should be issue-based. When men campaign, their campaign is not issue-based, but we always say to women, “we must talk about issues,” the things that affect people—poverty, education, rape, violence against women—those are the issues…

“If you are in active politics or elected office you really have to learn how to work with people in order to achieve your objectives and influence the way things are done.” - Jesse Majome iKNOW Politics: As a female member of parliament in the House of Assembly in Zimbabwe, what challenges have…

"I believe that women are women no matter where they are and if there are womenfolk either in Europe or America or Australia who have advanced in certain fields we must be open to network with them so that we can exchange information and be in solidarity with each other.” – Violet Sampa Bredt iKNOW…

“Women should always build support systems and networks for other women, and they should not be an excuse to exclude other women from politics.” - Hanan Ashrawi iKNOW Politics: Dr. Ashrawi, you are well known as a Palestinian legislator, human rights activist, and scholar. You have held numerous…

"I would also advise men in politics to talk to and meet with every woman you can think of who might run for office if she is encouraged and supported. This would eventually lead to greater numbers of women in politics.” - Grant Mitchell iKNOW Politics: You have been a Member of the Alberta…

“I was a typical African woman who was raised to believe that politics is for men, and I refused to run. But in the end, I did it for my party, because I thought it would be unfair to stay out of politics. So I accepted and decided to run.” - Alomiza Ennos-Barr iKNOW Politics: You are chairing the…