Woman and politics

It is well known that, throughout human history, women did not have political rights equally with men, moreover, there were periods in which the woman was totally excluded from the political sphere: they didn’t even had the right to vote. Women still do not with have the right to vote or have voting restrictions placed upon them in a few countries. In Brunei both women and men have been denied the right to vote or to stand for election since 1962. In Lebanon there is partial suffrage. Proof of elementary education is required for women but not for men. Voting is compulsory for men but optional for women. In Saudi Arabia there is no suffrage for women. The first local elections ever held in the country occurred in 2005. Women were not given the right to vote, to stand for election or to bring appear before a judge without male representation

But with feminine movements, this would change the fate of women in politics. There are many countries in the world that have instituted a quota system to ensure a minimum number of women elected to office. In the last 40 years, women have managed to obtain key positions in the policy of a country. Some examples are: Margaret Tatcher (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (president of African Union), Angela Merkel (Chancellor Germany), Dilma Roussef (President of Brazil), Doris Leuthard (President of Swizerland), Mary McAleese (President of Irland) ,Cristina Kirchner (President of  Argentina), Laura Chinchilla (President of Costa Rica), Tarja Halonen (President of Finlanda), Dalia Grybauskaite (President of Lituania), Roza Otunbayeva (President of Kîrgîzstan), Pratibha Patil (President of India), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (President of Liberia).

Today, though few but their number is growing because of the awareness that women aren’t only increase the visual field of ideas in terms of the world in general, but also help in a  better representation of the female sex. For that I wonder: How can a man be able to support well our rights if he isn’t placed in situations we are facing?

Women occupy only 18% of parliamentary seats around the world. Regional averages of the percentage of women in parliament vary greatly:

• Nordic countries - 41.4%
• Americas - 21.8%
• Europe (excluding Nordic countries) - 19.1%
• Asia - 17.4%
• Sub-Saharan Africa - 17.2%
• Pacific - 13.4%
• Arab states - 9.6%

In my opinion, equal access of men and women to power, decision-making and leadership at all levels is a necessary precondition for the proper functioning of democracy. Equal participation of men and women in political affairs makes governments more representative of the composition of society; it makes them more accountable and transparent, and ensures that the interests of women are taken into account in policy-making.

http://www.iwdc.org/resources/fact_sheet.html
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/eql-men/index.html

http://www.unwomen.org/2012/11/during-first-official-trip-to-japan-michelle-bachelet-calls-for-womens-full-participation-in-politics-and-the-economy/