women's role in society

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State John Kerry and former First Lady Laura Bush on Friday said that as elections near in Afghanistan and U.S. troops continue to draw down, America must remain committed to the country during what they called a critical juncture.

Egyptian women were at the heart of the revolution that toppled president Hosni Mubarak. Their contribution ranged from work in the labour movement to a female journalist breaking taboos by suing the government for harassment. They walked shoulder to shoulder with men as the Egyptian population demanded the fall of the regime, as did the people of Tunisia, Libya and Yemen. Yet nearly three years later, a poll from the Thomson Reuters Foundation has declared Egypt the worst country for women in the Arab world.

Following the elections and recent government appointments made by King Mswati and members of parliament (MPs), Swaziland has hit rock bottom in women's representation in government, just at the time when the country should be giving its last push for gender equality before 2015.

There is no hope that Swaziland will reach the SADC Gender Protocol target of 50% women in all areas of decision-making by 2015.

Hillary Clinton on Thursday stressed the importance of advancing women around the world, nodding to those seeking office as she also made the case for robust American leadership on the global stage.

Clinton’s remarks came at a gala hosted by the National Defense University Foundation, held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington.

A little while back a lawsuit was filed with the Supreme Court to disallow funding of political parties that do not include women in the party list.

I do not know what happened with that suit - I have not yet heard that it has been discussed or decided upon, so I assume it is still an open case.

Some lawmakers have decided not to wait for the Supreme Court decision, and are taking the same idea via a different route - legislation in the Knesset.

WOMEN in the country are likely to win overwhelming voters' confidence in the coming General Elections if the findings of a recent survey are anything to go by.

Getting Afghan women voter cards has proven a challenge for the Independent Election Commission (IEC), which has made female turnout a top priority this election cycle, but southern Helmand province is said to be an especially challenging environment due to strict traditional values and the lack of female registration employees.

Arab women played a central role in the Arab Spring, but their hopes the revolts would bring greater freedom and expanded rights for women have been thwarted by entrenched patriarchal structures and the rise of Islamists, gender experts in the countries say.