A conversation between Curt (Wellington) and Diane Ballantyne, councillor for Wellington County about the barriers female candidates face.

During the 2020 caucus cycle, I heard it a lot, the refrain of the cautious Democratic voter. I want to vote for her, but I don’t think she can win. It wasn’t, people reasoned, because they were sexist, but they worried that America was.

Kenya’s party primaries recently closed - a process for political parties to select candidates for the various elective seats in August’s General Election.

There are a few exceptions but Somali women hardly get into politics or hold top public office in what remains a deeply conservative society. Fowzia Yusuf, one of those, speaks to Al Jazeera on seeking another first.