Our Interviews

“The lesson I have learned is, you listen to the people. There are some leaders that think they know it all, they always tell people what they want done. For me, I listen to my people.” - Regina Musokotwane iKNOW Politics: You are a Member of Parliament and chair of the women’s caucus. Based on…

"The problem of inequality is not just a problem for women, but a problem for the world and the community. Equality between men and women is essential for the world to reach the highest levels of human development and wellbeing.” - Milagros Ortiz de Bosch iKNOW Politics: How did your career in…

"I believe in parity a lot. I also believe in the sharing of responsibilities. When there is a critical mass of women, we will finally be able to change things.” - Danielle Perrier iKNOW Politics: You were the first woman to be elected president of a district council in Mauritius and you have been…

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…

"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…

“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…

“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…