Role of women in society

The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare Mary Clara Makungwa has called on the media in the country to promote women aspirants in politics in order to achieve the 50-50 women representation campaign.

The newly appointed Minister said this in Blantyre on Friday during a media conversation for 50-50 campaign and conflict sensitive reporting with the editor's forum.

Makungwa said government recognizes how media shapes the views of the masses and as such the media should create a space for women to express their views.

The legacy of conflict-related violence endures long after a peace agreement is signed. In too many cases, violence and insecurity continue or even increase for women, facilitated by large-scale impunity, the absence of effective justice systems and an unreformed security sector. Re-establishing the rule of law is the foundation for women’s security, protection of rights, and, ultimately, an equitable peace.

Even though Kyrgyzstan has had a female president and women hold 23 percent of the seats in its 120-member parliament, women are still struggling to carve out leadership roles in the legislature and political parties.

But a local women’s group is trying to change that. Formed shortly after the 2005 Tulip Revolution, the Women’s Discussion Club of Kyrgyzstan has played a major role in promoting public policies that benefit women.

For the fourth year, a campaign school to encourage women to consider a role in municipal politics will be run in Brantford.

The event — which generally attracts up to 100 women — is aimed at getting more women to run for public office or to support the campaigns of other women running for office.

“We want to provide information and enlightenment about the demands of the role,” said Helen Mulligan, one of the organizers.

Lincoln Sen. Amanda McGill will host town hall meetings this month to examine barriers that face women as they struggle to reach professional goals.

The meetings stem from LR295, introduced by McGill to study the income gap between men and women.

The town halls will give women a chance to share their experiences on wage disparity; balancing work and family; the lack of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields; and roadblocks to self-confidence.

In celebration of the 175^th anniversary of the first American woman to address a legislative body, Simmons College will co-host "How Women Become Political." This forum will feature prominent women political leaders including: feminist activist and author Gloria Steinem; U.S. Congresswoman Elizabeth Warren; and Former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.

In 2011 the National Democracy Institute (NDI) released Democracy and the Challenge of Change: A Guide to Increasing Women's Political Participation, a guide for democracy practitioners to help them develop and carry out effective programs to bring more women into government and politics. Building on this publication, NDI conducted research in three regions of the world in order to create complementary training materials and a companion training manual that staff and partner organizations can use in country.

Julia Gillard has given her first known interview since losing the Labor leadership, in which she says she will be pursuing education and women's issues on the global stage.

Speaking to two representatives from Laureate International Universities in New York, including a student from Malaysia, Ms Gillard has said that she is looking forward to travelling and promoting causes overseas that she has been passionate about in Australia.