Author: Angelina Bora, Year 11, Newstead Wood Grammar School, London, UK
In many countries, women face inadequate opportunities in social/public participation especially in the likes of politics and government because it is seen as a “male domain”. Society has often told women that they cannot attain high positions of power in a government because “they have too many other things to worry about.” while referring to things such as being a mother and taking care of children.
This is also known as sex stereotyping: it assumes that masculine and feminine traits are intertwined within leadership. The bias against women stems from the narrative that femininity inherently produces weak leadership. Many have the bigoted idea that participation in office requires ‘masculine traits, which is why women candidates are either seen as unfit for office or are encouraged to “enhance their masculine traits” to gain supporters.
Another social barrier we see is the lack of support from the media. Both quantitative and qualitative data show that the press often reflects a male-overwhelmed society. While the media applaud men for their achievements, they scrutinise and criticise women.
This sparks a clear debate on equality or equal opportunities for everyone. One that quite often dominates as a key issue globally. There have been very few female world leaders in comparison to men but those who have taken positions of power have shone brightly in the field.
The first female prime minister was Sirimavo Bandaranaike, a former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. She started as the chairwoman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. During her time in office, Sirimavo attempted to reform the former British colony of Ceylon into a socialist republic, she changed the administrative language from English to Sinhala and oversaw the drafting of the new constitution and the formation of the Sri Lankan Republic.
Another iconic figure in the political field is Angela Merkel – the chancellor of Germany. She is the first female chancellor and is known to have transformed German politics. Her most notable act was in 2015 when she announced that Germany would process asylum applications from Syrian refugees. That year, nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers entered Germany. Merkel insisted that the country welcomed arriving refugees and migrants.
In addition to these two figures, we have AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), an American politician, activist and congresswoman for New York’s 14th district. Taking office at 29, she is the youngest woman to ever serve in the United States Congress… In her first year, she has helped expose the appalling conditions in migrant detention facilities at the US-Mexico border, has introduced a movement for LGBTQ+ equality and has even been nominated for an Emmy as a co-creator of a film regarding her Green New Deal legislation.
Lastly, Jacinda Ardern, the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand… During her two terms as prime minister, she has led the country through the aftermath of the Christchurch Mosque shooting, rapidly introducing strict gun laws in response. During the pandemic, her covid-19 response had been globally recognised. Her cabinet’s quick action helped the nation avoid mass infections and death. For this, she gained international attention.
So, these are my role models. Fierce, intelligent and powerful women, who have strived in a male favouring field to successfully lead their respective nations. While the patriarchy in politics is responsible for the less participation of women, things are slowly changing for the better.
