Political power of women - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages However, while women in the region continue to rise into the highest positions of leadership in the region, the rise in the number of such leaders does not result in the protection of the rights of women (Pamela and Melanie 65). The position of women in the two societies contrasts thereby depicting definite pattern of weak political institutions that do not consider the position of women in the Asian societies. The position and participation of women in politics should facilitate the inclusion of their rights and roles in the constitution as the essay below portrays. The democratic processes in the countries are illusionary and use the high political positions as rewards to women who lose either fathers or husbands in political assassinations. The Sri-Lankan female president for example rose to power after the assassination of her husband who served as the president prior to his murder. While the women hold the highest positions in office, they work in heavily bureaucratic systems often working under the influence of men. This explains the inability of the female presidents to improve the status of women in the countries. The status of women in Asia is appalling with some societies showing abject disregard to the fundamental human rights. The rise of specific women into the positions of power does not help address such deeply entrenched social structures that perpetuate the disregard of the fundamental human rights (Pamela and Melanie 231). India, the world most populous nation and a strong economy in Asia has had few women in leadership positions. This perpetuates the traditional stereotypes in the society most of which support the disregard to the rights of women. The recent case of a girl gang raped in a public bus in Mumbai depicts the hopelessness of women in the country. The incident portrayed the fact that numerous rape cases in the country go unreported. The police in the country lack the motivation to investigate crimes against women. The lack of both motivation and resources to investigate cases of crimes against women and bring the suspects to book as depicted by the actions of the police investigating the case of the young girl gang raped in bus shows the lack of representation of women in the society. The political system in the country does not uphold the values and rights of women thus compelling female rape victims to feel ashamed and shun any attempt to report such atrocities. The police force in the country consists of men who therefore uphold the laws that safeguard the rights of men often disregarding the plight of women. The police force in India for example requires effective reforms in order to increase the number of women in the force. The presence of a female president surrounded by male cabinet secretaries and male parliamentarians does not help elevate the position of women in the society. The change in political representation requires enactment of legislations that safeguard the rights of women. Additionally this requires an attitudinal overhaul in order to influence the feelings and thoughts of the populace in order to recognize the rights and roles of women (Gelb and Marian 41). The solution to the social problems in Asia is improved female representation. As determined above, having a female president is not enough since an individual may not influence the political and policy changes required to alleviate the plight of women in the s ...Download file to see next pagesRead More