Women in Politics

Women in Politics

            For a long time, the issue of women in politics has been the topic of discussion in many forums and studies have shown and proven that the imbalance between men and women in the seats of power in politics is quite great. For instance, a report estimates that the male representation in parliament is about 76% worldwide, 87% in the government ministries and about 95% as heads of states. The remaining percentages of each of the above mentioned are the equivalent percentage of women occupying those positions in politics (Kuperberg, 1). Several reasons have been stated to try and explain the cause of the imbalance but the truth remains that women in political positions tend to prioritize efforts to advanced rights, equality promotion as well as leveraging opportunities for girls and women in the society. This research paper is aimed at a detailed review of articles related with women in power and their decision on the topic depending on their research, findings as well as mitigation means for the empowerment of women to pursue positions of political power.

Murray and Sénac, (2) assert that for women politicians, it’s all about good governance and human rights observation. Unlike men, women have a tendency to work from one party line to another and with this comes the benefit of a proper angle of view on how to tackle specific issues in the society. They also have the ability and tendency of encouraging citizens’ confidence and self-belief in democracy as they participate in the process as well. Last but not least, women in politics tend to have a priority in education, health services as well as other key advancement indicators in society (Gethner, 3).  Other tangible results include the ability to transform a government into a collaborative on as women are better in making deals that are beneficial to the state. Also, since in the current era women are more educated by men, an educated workforce has proven important in the implementation of innovative techniques. Muhlbauer, and Chrisler, (3) claim that gender gaps have subsequently subsided with an increase in the number of women in the government hence narrowing those gaps in most democracies that are majorly industrialized. In most states, the participation of women in politics has been proven to be statistically indistinguishable from that of men through researches.

Kuperberg, (1), suggests that however, despite these results, women have a tendency of displaying low levels of their activities in politics than their male counterparts. Since women in politics have a tendency of starting their career later in life, having fewer children most of their time is spent tending to their families as compared to men. This family issue has for a long time remained to be a huge concern for the capabilities of women’s ability to deliver to the expected standard of office. This gender inequality has managed to paralyze the commitment of women in politics in many states and is yet to be solved. In addition, women in politics have suffered explicit biasedness, millennium implicit, objection as well as citizenship of the second-class level. For this their voices have remained to be faint not only in politics but also other sectors of their social life. Despite the various theories and hypothesis that claim women don’t participate in politics due little or no ambition in politics and other responsibilities such as caregiving, many scholars have uncovered that all these are excuses and the main reason for their lack of participation in women’s cultural uncertainty about power something that they should not be blamed for but rather encouraged and inspired to act (Norris, and Tankersley, 3).

            It has remained evident that female politicians have low levels of support in terms of political networks and for this reason, they tend to rely more on sponsorships for their campaigns and other political expenses (Kanthak, 2). With better political network support systems, their male counterparts pose a great challenge for the same seat of opposition each of them is competing for the same position. In addition to the pitfalls present against the success of women in politics, besides the difficulty in fundraising, stereotyping discrimination has also played a big role in inhibiting the success of women. Also, not being considered serious candidates, as well as the loss of privacy due to publicity, has caused further downfall among women. In order for all these to change, more women should be represented in positions of political power, considered as qualified and reliable candidates and last but not least receive equal support from funding organizations and political parties.

In conclusion, the impact of women in politics has been proven to be positive as well as undeniable. It is the only tool that has proven effective in the increment of a country’s economic productivity, a reduction in maternal and child mortality as well as the improvement in nutrition and health promotion among other gains. With such development goals, women should be encouraged to pursue and compete for positions of political power not to dominate over their male counterparts but also to raise the standards of women in the society, ensure the reliability of office in service delivery to the public and the general development of the state at large.

Cited Works

Gethner, Perry. “Women And The Exercise Of Power In Eighteenth-Century Tragedy”. Women In French Studies, vol 2014, no. 1, 2014, pg 3. Johns Hopkins University Press, doi:10.1353/wfs.2014.0015.

Kanthak, Kristin. “Women As Policy Activists”. The Journal Of Politics, vol 80, no. 4, 2018, pg. 2. University Of Chicago Press, doi:10.1086/699330.

Kuperberg, Rebecca. “Intersectional Violence Against Women In Politics”. Politics & Gender, vol 14, no. 4, 2018, pg. 1.  Cambridge University Press (CUP), doi:10.1017/s1743923x18000612.

Muhlbauer, Varda, and Joan C. Chrisler. “Women, Power, And Aging: An Introduction”. Women & Therapy, vol 35, no. 3-4, 2012, pg. 3. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/02703149.2012.684592.

Murray, Rainbow, and Réjane Sénac. “Explaining Gender Gaps In Legislative Committees”. Journal Of Women, Politics & Policy, vol 39, no. 3, 2018, pg. 2. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/1554477x.2018.1477397.