Most American media coverage of the Middle East paints a bleak picture of the status of women. There certainly is reason for pessimism given the perpetuation of honor killings and child marriages and, more generally, the exclusion of women from economic and political life.
Women make up 34% of the 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe, with 32% in the National Assembly and 48% of Senate. Although the quota for women in parliament led to the dramatic increase from 19% in 2008 to 34%, the number of women who actually won, fell from 34 to 26.
Progressive groups unveiled a major initiative on Wednesday to draw attention to challenges that women still face and to promote public policies to address gender disparities.
Egypt's National Council for Women (NCW) said in a statement issued Wednesday that new amendments under-discussion to the currently suspended 2012 constitution are "fairer" to women.
President Goodluck Jonathan has been urged to replace sacked female ministers with women in order to keep and perhaps surpass the 35 per cent affirmative action as favoured by the current administration.
Hazel Brown, co-ordinator of the Network of NGOs for the advancement of women, hopes after the October 21 local government elections that 50 per cent of councillors will be women as well as 50 per cent of aldermen elected under the newly-implemented proportional representation. Brown mad
Continuing the celebrations marking ten years of uninterrupted peace, the women of Liberia presented a five-count resolution to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf highlighting their plight and how they can be resolved for the common good of Liberian women and girls.
The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, on Tuesday urged more Nigerian women to vie for elective positions in 2015.