Women in Politics - Essay Example

? Women in Politics Insert Semester Scholars have described a woman as the new animal in the world ofpolitics. The aggressiveness with which women are increasing their participation in politics has changed the international political arena (Sandi, 1995). Unlike some decades ago, when politics were male dominated aspects of society, gender equality is rapidly becoming acceptable. The main reason behind the empowerment and awareness of women is the rate at which they are embracing education. Today women are holding senior government positions in many countries across the world especially in the developed world where gender issues are more flexible. Three out of the top ten most powerful women globally, according to the Forbes Magazine, are political leaders. The most powerful woman according to Forbes is the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. Leading the fifth biggest economy in the world, Merkel is the most powerful political figure in the European Union. This paper seeks to explain the participation of women in politics today, and the factors contributing to the situation. Hillary Clinton, the state secretary of the U.S, once said that true democracy could only be found if the world was willing to listen to the voice of women. This statement has been interpreted differently by different political analysts. While some have seen it as a wake-up call to the women to start taking part in a people’s democratic processes, others have interpreted it as a cry to the developing countries to encourage female participation in decision making (Zergaw, 2011). In the contemporary world, women are going to school and pursuing careers that were associated with men in the past. They are empowering themselves and establishing high ambitions. Educating the girl child has been the theme and goal of many campaigns especially in the developing nations. Such knowledge is intended to provide the girls and women with necessary professional and academic qualifications that can let them go into such fields as politics. Today, the there are eight female heads of state across the world. The most fascinating thing about the participation of women in politics is that most of the female heads of state are presidents in third world nations. The fact that such African countries as Malawi and Liberia have women presidents indicates how aggressive women have become in seeking to manage their nations. Such women as Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is the Liberian president, and Joyce Banda, the popular head of state of Malawi are evidences of the revolution in the world of governance and politics. Third world nations have always been associated with male chauvinism and gender discrimination (Karin, 1999). However, with the current legislative reforms, women are gaining some bargaining power in socio-political dealings. Some of the most significant legislative reforms that have highly empowered women include the prohibition of gender violence and justice in inheritance of property. Unlike in the past century, most states now advocate for equal consideration in the distribution of family wealth. This has made women gain a wealth of knowledge in relation to their rights, privileges and responsibilities. The high rate, at which women are getting involved in politics, can be attributed to the awareness that the girl child has equal rights to education as the boy child. In the past two decades, women got enlightened and went for such courses as law and political science. Typically, most influential women politicians are those that have taken legal courses and professions (Zergaw, 2011). Janet Reno is one of the most prominent women in the history of the United States. Having studied law at the university, Reno became the first female attorney general in the United States in the year 1993. She held the position for the second longest period in the history of the United States. This was after having been in the position for eight years. Reno had an enormous influence on all legal reforms in the constitution of the federal government. Her academic and professional qualifications are beyond reproach. There are some limitations referred to as political quotas. These are regulations requiring that any organization that is political in nature should adopt a particular pre-determined proportion of women in its membership (Clover, 2011). For instance, such quotas are responsible for such phenomena as the fixed percentage formation of political parties and movements. It is because of such quotas that most parties have regulations stating that the representation of women should be at least a third of the total membership. The law will, therefore, find a party imbalanced if such quotas are not observed. Such quotas have given women the opportunity to participate in party politics to the extent of vying for nomination as the parties’ presidential candidates. Hillary Clinton is the most relevant example in this case. During the 2008 elections, she stood to be nominated as the presidential aspirant for the Democrat Party. Even though, president Barrack Obama beat her as the party’s presidential candidate, her influence was certainly felt across the world. Today Hillary Clinton is holding the position that is considered the most powerful diplomatic office in the world. Hillary, who is the secretary of state in the current administration, is the most powerful representative of the United States in other countries across the world. This is an extremely powerful political role as it influences America’s foreign policy. The position was previously held by Condoleezza Rice under the administration of President George Bush. Rice, who studied political science and diplomacy, was the sixty sixth secretary of state of the United States. She was the second female, and the very first African American citizen to hold such a powerful position in the history of the United States (Sandi, 1995). Another prominent female figure in the political arena is Greta Van Susteren. According to Greta, who is apolitical writer, Hillary and Rice should be role models to all females in contemporary society. It is worth noting that, despite all the efforts by American women, the country was ranked sixtieth in embracing women representation in the government. In conclusion, it is evident that, from the above discussion, women are increasingly becoming aware of the essence to participate in government. An analysis carried out in 2008 indicated that the common people were becoming more fascinated about women politicians and leaders. The key factors contributing to this occurrence include the international women empowerment movements and the tendency of most governments to fund budgets that are responsive to gender. These factors have enabled women to create clubs and movements that gone as far as running financial institutions. The role played by women who are in power is supreme in as far as educating the girl child is concerned. Currently, the United States secretary of state, Hillary Clinton and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, are leading proponents of education for the girl child. These women have gone the extra mile to support women empowerment movements in developing nations and among indigenous groups. References Clover, E., McGregor, C., Farrell, M & Pant, M. (2011). Women Learning Politics and the Politics of Learning: A Feminist Study of Canada and India. Studies in the Education of Adults, 43 (1), 18-33 Karin K. (1999). Women Leaders and Women Managers in the Global Community. Career Development International. 4 (3), 134 - 139 Sandi M. (1995). Politics and Power in Organizations: Why Women Lose Out. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 16 (2), 9 - 15 Zergaw, A. (2011). The Role of Women in Politics and Public Policy. Women in Leading Change. 3 (11), 1-3 Read More