Just eight women ran in Bahrain’s first general election in 2002, and only one woman managed to secure a seat in the country’s fledgling parliament in 2006 after running unopposed. Dr. May al Otaibi, who works with the Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Women, is working not necessarily to get “lots of females” on the ballot, but rather to support qualified, accomplished female leaders. One of the main issues is how to get more women to vote for women, which is attributed to social structures and religious attitudes. A study conducted by UNDP and the Supreme Council found that while 74 per cent of those polled accepted the idea of women running for public office, 62 per cent said they would not vote for a female candidate in 2010.
For more information, please visit The National
Just eight women ran in Bahrain’s first general election in 2002, and only one woman managed to secure a seat in the country’s fledgling parliament in 2006 after running unopposed. Dr. May al Otaibi, who works with the Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Women, is working not necessarily to get “lots of females” on the ballot, but rather to support qualified, accomplished female leaders. One of the main issues is how to get more women to vote for women, which is attributed to social structures and religious attitudes. A study conducted by UNDP and the Supreme Council found that while 74 per cent of those polled accepted the idea of women running for public office, 62 per cent said they would not vote for a female candidate in 2010.
For more information, please visit The National
