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Pauline
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
September 30, 2007 - 01:17 PM
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If young women are at the forefront of political agendas and there is a real pull for women's issues among politicians, we would welcome women.
Getting young women to attend leadership debates in their own riding would inspire them to ask the questions and get answers that hold politicians accountable for their actions. This encourages girls to ensure that politicians follow through while following politics. This will generate interest.
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hekatea
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
October 24, 2007 - 09:18 AM
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I agree that women should be empowered and that they should have an equal share in the government. But I wish that they maintain their female sensibility and motherly love and compassion and not to do the same mistake as traditional politicians did and are still doing. The kind of politics that we should aim for is the one that truly benefits the people and the country where these politicians serve. To empower women is to empower what is really good in them--what makes this society better.
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R Kahendi
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
October 31, 2007 - 01:04 AM
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kirstenjordan wrote:
My question is how do we encourage more women to enter the world of politics? Studies have shown that women are more likely to get involved in politics if they are involved from a young age. What are your thoughts?
Interesting questions. 
Perhaps incorporating civic education into the educational syllabus right from elementary school onwards would help push this agenda along. This civic education could include some of the ideas I discuss below:
I've made the observation that women are always actively involved in their communities at the grassroots level. Often, this involvement is political, but is not recognized as such. Instead, it is framed as religious activity or "women's issues". One of the things we can do is reassess the way we describe women's activities, and revisit exactly what it is that we define as "political".
We also need to recognize that within the contexts of religious groups, women can push for changes that empower them socially.
An example is one case where a widow was dispossessed of her property by her in-laws. Her church community supported her and ensured she got justice. In many similar instances, religious groups have provided refuge from the extremes of patriarchy or shown readiness to get involved in social reform.
We can also encourage women to vote. When women are recognized to have a legitimate voice as voters, it is easier for the mainstream public to accept that women are in fact political beings. That makes it even easier for a woman to stand for election as a politician.
Maybe I am being a tad bit idealistic over here, but I do believe that gradual changes of this type bear more fruit in the longterm because they encourage change in all levels of the community. Affirmative action, in comparison, produces immediate results, but it has to be imposed from above, and is resisted very strongly by those who favor the system as is, and it is very easily overturned (as is evident in recent American history).
This post was edited on: 2007-10-31 at 01:15 AM by: bumbuwazed
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mnopq
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
October 31, 2007 - 05:51 AM
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kirstenjordan wrote:
One of the MDGs is about gender equality and empowering women. My question is how do we encourage more women to enter the world of politics? Studies have shown that women are more likely to get involved in politics if they are involved from a young age. What are your thoughts?
In order to answer that question, we perhaps have to look back and see the reasons of why women had in general less opportunities in politics and leadership positions. In my view this is because when first social systems and governing bodies were created, women were given lesser importance because they were on average physically weaker than men. This was of course long long time ago. human legacy, reinforced by constant transmission of DNAs, didn't change much.
Societies - most of them at least - still have in them an unconscious attitude towards women, treating them as inferior in what concerns of leadership skills. Many still doubt a woman's ability to do high-level politics. Many reasons are given: sensibility, femininity, conceived lesser stamina (prejudice), irrationality (prejudice).
Even now and even in most progressive of countries these obstacles are still present. Glass-ceiling effect is preoccupying even now some liberals back in england and the US.
In order to empower women and consequently increase their involvement in political, economic and other important issues, we have to first realize and rid ourselves of the above mentioned prejudices. We have remember especially the fact that on a gene level women are more sophisticated than men.
After this realization, we must stop giving gender discrimination pretext as an excuse to hinder women going into politics or leadership.
This is already happening, albeit not on global scale yet. It's encouraging.
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Brigid
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
November 3, 2007 - 07:45 PM
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In Australia we have few women in politics and those that are have to fight hard to gain even half the respect our male politicians get- ore deputy PM when she first elected her 'bad hair cut' got more attention then her views (and it's not the first time the way our female politicians look has gotten more attention then what's really important)
the sad thing is it wasn't just men giving her flack-it was mostly other women -the common gossip and talking behind each others back that so many of us do -we might be proud that there's women in politics- but they're all 'too fat' or 'wearing a hideous outfit' -we all say we want women in politics but as soon as one's elected we instantly start complaining about them
until we can stop being so shallow and start treating the women that are currently in politics better its unlikely women are going to be jumping to join -knowing how they'll be treated
This post was edited on: 2007-12-11 at 03:49 AM by: Brigid
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R Kahendi
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
November 19, 2007 - 05:19 PM
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this discussion is even more interesting than i originally thought. take for example the 2 contributions on australia.
the first one indicates that all is well, and that equality of the sexes is institutionalized. the 2nd one suggests otherwise.
and this leads me to my second point. does the 'developed' west really have as good a track record on women's involvement in politics as is often claimed?
sure enough, women can vote in these nations, but when it comes to women running for office, it is another story. in the meantime, one is more likely to see female leaders being elected to office with frequency in some subsaharan african and southeast asian nations. clearly things are much more complicated than they seem on the surface.
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sorcerer
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
November 29, 2007 - 04:19 AM
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kirstenjordan wrote:
One of the MDGs is about gender equality and empowering women. My question is how do we encourage more women to enter the world of politics? Studies have shown that women are more likely to get involved in politics if they are involved from a young age. What are your thoughts?
Women can excel in politics.
we have so many worl leaders who are women- an undisputed fact.
To encourage more woman to enter politics, they need to get involved in politics from their college level education. The relegion or political prejudice should be narowed down for their entry.They should be given opporunity to be leaders from the grassroot level.
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Anita
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
December 2, 2007 - 11:02 AM
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Empowerment of women through enlisting more particpation in the political political process is definitely a welcome measure anywhere. However in practise women are not well represented in political power circles. I think that empowerment is a very comprehensive subject and a very intricate one. Being a women myself I know that empowerment means several things and different things to women in different parts of the world.
I have discussed this subject with many interesting women and men , I have yetl not managed to find an absolute concrete definition for the same. In some ways equal opportunities for participation and growth in all sectors to women without discrimination on the basis of gender, class, caste ect comes closer to practical aspects of empowerment. Greater voice in power sturctures and policies is definitely one such parameter if implemented brings greater empowerment to women anywhere.
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Olowoyeye Oluwatosin Anu
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
December 3, 2007 - 08:53 AM
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I think that apart from studies/education , opportunities and avenues are also significant in bringing change.
So when it comes to empowering women, just working with women may not be sufficient. Working with men and others in communities will also help in creating respect for right of women. There has to be space for women to express and enjoy thier rights. Why should they always need to fight for their rights? I think others should anyway be prepared to respect women and thier power.
True talk. . . and I guess the Government keep seeing us (women) as weaker vessels. . .hence the maltreatment. But we are strong. . .and deserve none of such treatments and violation of rights.
"Creating opportunities for women's political and economic empowernment gives them the ability to seize control of their lives, and prevents them from succumbing to trafficking and engaging in transactional sex."
This post was edited on: 2007-12-03 at 08:56 AM by: Olowoyeye Oluwatosin Anu
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Osamuyi Okpame
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Re: Empowering Women politically..
January 29, 2008 - 10:40 AM
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Empowering women in any social cultural setting can never be the same.
while it may be easy in some societies but in a society like mine, i think it is a difficult task.Besides the level of security and the extent to which the rule of law is applicable in that particular setting could also go a long way to encourage women to take part in politics.
In my part of the world, politics is still being played dirty and i don't think many respectable women would like the way the game is played. Their husbands would object to their participation in politics.
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expat
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
January 30, 2008 - 01:03 AM
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osamuyi-2 wrote:
Empowering women in any social cultural setting can never be the same.
while it may be easy in some societies but in a society like mine, i think it is a difficult task.Besides the level of security and the extent to which the rule of law is applicable in that particular setting could also go a long way to encourage women to take part in politics.
In my part of the world, politics is still being played dirty and i don't think many respectable women would like the way the game is played. Their husbands would object to their participation in politics.
i had a chuckle when i read that sorry. Hillary Clinton has been playing hardball and dirty racial and gender politics all thru the democratic nomination race. So its not just Africa.
You got wonder how much of William Jefferson's rise to power was due to Hillary, since Bill seemed to like the fun part of power and Hillary the power-hungry one LOL
The question i ask is why do women want to mess around with power politics. Sandra Day O'cconnor a retired US supreme Court Judge was one of the most powerful Person in the US and the question is how much advancements in women's causes have resulted from her 20 or so years in the Highest Court in the land. She seemed to have been put there as instrument of the Men in power, as a puppet.
(I wanna qualify that by saying that i am pro-life and pro-choice (for the babies) as O'cconnor was !)
This post was edited on: 2008-01-30 at 01:09 AM by: Expat1970
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AlCallinan
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
February 6, 2008 - 12:08 AM
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I don't think that the empowerment of women has a "one size fits all solution">I think that different actions are needed in different regions to increase women's role and participation in politics. However I think that there are some universal necessities : there needs to be a social framework that reinforces women's value as a person, not property in many places as well as constitutions that codify women's rights to participate in public elections. Furhter it is important to work with women in all countries and encourage them to vote and be politically active.
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zainab
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
April 9, 2008 - 12:50 PM
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 How are you? My name is Zainab i just joined. To the question asked i think the involvement of young women in politics may be a very good idea because, i think women ought to be given the chance to do so atleast we need to rule more of the world, like in Nigeria where i am if women are given chances maybe the rate of coruption and piracy will reduce. Just like Queen Elizabeth, infact i like her rulership. I don't have enough time but i believe i have written something about your question. Bye.
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Carlos
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
April 12, 2008 - 09:29 AM
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As a father of a nine year old girl, I have to agree that for women to get involved in political life they definitely must be brought up with that type of teaching.
As I grew up many of my girl peers were not encouraged or the families would not even talk about the possibility of having their daughters get involved in any political arena. Women were brought up to be wives and mothers.
I feel very proud to say that I have gotten my daughter involved with the MDG’s and that hopefully I’ll do a good job at making sure she will become an independent individual, that chooses to trail her own path, that does not mean she has to become involved in anything, the choice is hers and that’s the way it should be. Not because of fear or rage but because of the ability to think, analyze and take action towards her future.
Women are my favorite subject, not just because I’m a man, but I believe that in a political setting, man have a lot to learn, because as I see my wife dealing with three children I can see that she would be a great leader in society and a great politician if she chose to do so!
Humanity still has a lot to learn when dealing with the opposite sex, and I hope that through the technology that exists today, there will come a time where women will be treated with the decency and respect that is well overdue.
“Love Yourself, Respect Others and Enjoy Life…”
Zin
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Nikitta Adjirakor
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Re: Empowering Women and Politics
April 14, 2008 - 12:56 PM
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A saying by a Ghanaian Professor is that ' When you educate a man you educate one self but when you educate a woman you educate a whole nation.' 
Women are sooo important i wonder how the world would fare without them. However, traditional women are not decision makers in the society and this has got to change. Empowered women tend to affect not only themselves but also the society as well better. Women in politics. The trend is changing now and we see more women participating in politics not only on the sidelines but on the frontlines too. However, we need more.
Women are the only ones who can empower themselves. This is onl achieved through education. However, politics is ugly and tends to put people in disrepute more often than not. Maybe that scares most women. But hey, not everything is pretty and as the going gets tough, the tough get going. At the rate this is going, we will have more women in politics and very empowered in the near future cuz the future leaders who are youth now, are being empowered now and will by then be great.
I love being a girl. Seriously what else will anyone be?
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