Women are sorely underrepresented in positions of power and authority around the world.
Among the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the median percentage of females members of parliament (MPs) is only 23%. This is especially shocking considering that the OECD is composed of thirty of the richest and most “developed” Western nations around the world (including The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Germany, among others).
It is my belief that this startling lack of women in positions of authority reflects the rampant institutionalized sexism that exists in nations across the world, including the nations of the supposedly “developed” and enlightened West.
The purpose of this blog is to:
- Examine the issue of underrepresentation of women in positions of government authority,
- Increase awareness of female under representation in politics,
- Offer solutions for crisis of under representation,
- Bring to light the issues affecting women who make a career of politics,
- Highlight the stories of key successful female global politicians.
- Background and Analysis: Analysis of key problems and obstacles facing women globally in politics and the reasons behind the problems.
- Breaking News: Up-to-date news stories and analysis of current events involving female politicians.
- Politicenne Profiles: Profiles of key women political and governmental figures from across the globe. Each article will provide details about the nationality, political party, and biography of the woman featured.
While I certainly agree with your idea that women are underrepresented, I find some issue with placing such an emphasis here. The idea that their should be more women represented in government is clear and incontestable. However, the idea that having a woman in charge somehow solves all over problems is at best a stretch. A female dictator will clearly be just as oppressive as a male one. The claim that a female leader inherently possesses better values is simply not tenable. While I’m not sure you make this reasoning, I thought it should be pointed out.
I completely agree with you. The position that I am attempting to present here is not that women are inherently better at governing than men, but that there should at least be something close to proportionality in political and governmental decision-making.
The issue is not the decisions that male and female leaders make, but which gender is overwhelmingly charged with making the decisions.
I agree that while having more female leaders won’t magically solve problems, there is something inherently off with the level of female representation in government. Especially considering the fact that women are half the population, it’s hard to imagine how people could still manage to discriminate against women but it has always happened and still does. More women in government would help combat inequalities that still exist as well as give voice to half of the population that has been underrepresented. In this day and age, I can’t stand it when people still see through the narrow lens of traditional “masculine” or “feminine” roles. Excellent blog topic.
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