THE IMPORTANCE OF
WOMEN IN POLITICS
Over the years women are participating more actively in political issues than ever before as a result of political re-awakening and awakeness. More often than not, they are besieged with challenges of which discrimination is more rife. Majority of the men more on chauvinistic disposition are preoccupied with the notion that decision making is exclusively for the men folk while women are to be instructed on what to do. This idea of seeing the women playing the number 2 role at homes has come to play itself out in the political life of the people and this ought not to be so with regards to the ever dynamic nature of things globally as women are now seen in other communities as avant-garde in developed nations, It is surprising that the same mindset of yester years is still what is obtained in our country. The general believe everywhere is that a woman’s place is in her husbands home that is where they feel she can displce all the God given talent that she has there is this believe that she can’t be useful in any other place but there. So most culture believe training a woman those days, was just a waste of time and resources thats why when a woman is educated up to the primary level she is asked to stop there while her brothers further their education up to higher institution while she is married off from there. Some parents even tell those women that want to be educated further to continue from their husbands houses while they bear him kids. And this men they get married to with the fear that the women will get to know more than they do now refuse to allow them continue even if they have promised to let them continue after they married them.
But time has shown that educating a woman is no mere waste of time and those parent who did it have lived not to regret it, but to thank God that they did.
That is why today I want to talk about the importance of women in politics and Nation Building and the remarkable things they have done.
Politics should represent all of a country's inhabitants. The only right democracy is one in which men and women are evenly represented. Women are not a majority group that needs to be protected. Women actually make up half of the population. Women possess half of the populations talents, half of its knowledge and half of its skill. The chance of finding the most competent person is twice as big when you recruit among women as well. Women have their own interests and needs. They are in the best position to defend those interests. Women are believed to have a proper style and an evenly participation of women and men may lead to a diversity of ideas, values and patterns of behavior that can only result in an enrichment.
Liberia's Head of State Ellen Johnson Sir-Leaf has made history as Africa's first female President.. In the United States, Senator Hillary Clinton has made a positive impact in America's politics. Also the Republican Party's Presidential candidate John McCain picked a woman Sarah Palin the Govenor of Slaska as his running mate for the U.S election. this could be seen as the strong factor women constitute in the political parlance of any nation. Today, many countries all over the world are making good efforts to bridge the gap between men and women in politics we also have Zimbabwe’s Wangari Maatnai, the Nobel prize winner.These have included the example of the West and Asia where women like Britian’s Margaret Thatcher, Israel’s Golda Meir, India’s Indira Ghandi, Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, and lately Germany’s Angela Merkel have done or are doing well.
All these have been referenced in the case for the involvement of women in the leadership of State that constitute the continent. But we have to consider the issue of whether our men have satisfied our fundamental expectations of leadership. We have seen a leadership that cannot be said to be satistactory, save one or two pop-ups of good one’s like Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Anwar Sadat of Egypt.
But in Nigeria, the representation of women in Government even though has improved than before is still very low compared to what obtains in other nations of the world particularly in the developed nations. Despite the difficulties faced by women in politics, they continue with their political ambition, contributing enormously to the political and national development in their own way as the challenges militating against them are not present, although Nigeria is yet to have a female President. Women over the years could be said to have recorded some measure of appreciable political achievement in other political fields of endeavors, meeting their political objectives with limited support and resources at their disposal. In Nigeria, a couple of women political activisits such as, Mrs Margaret Ekpo, Mrs Janet Mokelu and Ms Young were members of the Eastern House of Assembly. The late Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, though not a full fledged politician, was a very strong force to reckon with in the politics of the Western Region and
Hajia Gambo Sawaba waged a fierce battle for the political and cultural emanicipation of women in the North. Sawaba, despite low education, coming from the northern part of Nigeria where women are least encouraged and their education neglected, and forced into early marriage at age 16, struggled through all these obstacles to emerge as a sweet, dynamic, independent political activist helping to educate many people. She was also able to come out of colonial repression and deformity refreshed and very human, and like most of her contemporaries, sowed the seed for the on-going emancipation of African women from the African tradition and the structures of the African nation-states.
One can say that women have always played viable roles in Nigeria in spite of all the limitations and encumbances. Babaginda era marked a turning point in the history of women struggle in Nigeria, when Maryam Babaginda institutionalized the office of the First Lady in 1987. She became the first working First Lady and launched the ''Better Life for Rural Women'' program. Other women who have made impact in the country's political scene include,
Mrs Ngozi Okonjo Iweala former Minister of Finance, who saved the nation records of billions of Naira as a result of her hard working nature as a public officer. Also, Mrs Obi Ezekwesili also laid a landmark in the history of Nigeria politics. Prof. Dora Akunyili, the NAFDAC boss has performed credibly; leading the fight against infiltration of adulterated pharmaceuticals drugs, her name can never be forgotten in the annals of history.
When we look at NAFDAC, no one ever thought about it or its importance in our nation until a woman got there, and because of the passion she has as a mother she was able to stand up and say the danger fake drugs is commiting in our Nation has got to stop dispite all the difficulties she faced she still continue the strugggle to stop the fake drug minace in our nation like a mother fighting to save the live of her children. And she has successfully done it well i want to believe it only a woman that can be patient and dedicated enough to have such passion.
Ndi Okereke Onyuike of the Stock Market has been able to revolutionize the stock market for good. We have other examples of women who have done excellently in their chosen fields such as Ngozi Onkonjo Iweaha, Obiageli Ezekwesile, and Nenadi Usman and our Oreoluwa Shomolu of w-tec. There are myriads of women in politics even presently that have done very well and are still performing excellently well.
We all know that before now every where, women are not given the chance to discover themselves to be what they want to be.
In our homes or houses today women are the ones who see to it that things are managed well and that things go the way it ought to go, this type of passion that this women have in managing their home’s is what they also carry to their work place to work with, even those who are not married also have this passion of i must make things go right.
I think God just gave all women that passion that was why he did not make it a all men world.
Political perennialism (sit-tightism) abuse of power, violations of human rights, mismangement of ther economy, and under development have been Sordid realities of the past four decades when we have men in the saddle of power.
The fact of an emerging spectrum of feminine leadership resources across the continent is no longer controvertible. Each country in Africa is birthing women professionals that possess requisite leadership protentials that can catapult the continent the new heights where they given a chance.
Gender equality presupposes giving a chance to a marginalized gender (in this case, women).
The saddle of leadership is long overdue to be ceded to the feminine gender, wher we to eschew prejudice, bias chauvinism subjectivism and other less than wholesome oddities of the human nature, it would be obvious in no time how much progress would be made by this great continet in the area of good goverance, infrastuctural development, rule of law, economic stability and progress, health education e.t.c.
>>>>> Making concessions for the feminine gender to have a shot of leadership does not erode the headership or leadership of men over them nor does it make a woman not to be a woman. Let the woman of Africa have chance at leadership so we can move forward. You educate a woman you educate a Nation. What role do women play in post-conflict nation-building? How do processes of nation-building affect the status and situation of women? A literature review and findings from Afghanistan indicate that greater stability and improved outcomes would be likely if there were: 1) a more genuine emphasis on the concept of human security; 2) a focus on establishing governance based on principles of equity and consistent rule of law from the start; and 3) economic inclusion of women in the earliest stages of reconstruction activities.
Over the years women are participating more actively in political issues than ever before as a result of political re-awakening and awakeness. More often than not, they are besieged with challenges of which discrimination is more rife. Majority of the men more on chauvinistic disposition are preoccupied with the notion that decision making is exclusively for the men folk while women are to be instructed on what to do. This idea of seeing the women playing the number 2 role at homes has come to play itself out in the political life of the people and this ought not to be so with regards to the ever dynamic nature of things globally as women are now seen in other communities as avant-garde in developed nations, It is surprising that the same mindset of yester years is still what is obtained in our country. The general believe everywhere is that a woman’s place is in her husbands home that is where they feel she can displce all the God given talent that she has there is this believe that she can’t be useful in any other place but there. So most culture believe training a woman those days, was just a waste of time and resources thats why when a woman is educated up to the primary level she is asked to stop there while her brothers further their education up to higher institution while she is married off from there. Some parents even tell those women that want to be educated further to continue from their husbands houses while they bear him kids. And this men they get married to with the fear that the women will get to know more than they do now refuse to allow them continue even if they have promised to let them continue after they married them.
But time has shown that educating a woman is no mere waste of time and those parent who did it have lived not to regret it, but to thank God that they did.
That is why today I want to talk about the importance of women in politics and Nation Building and the remarkable things they have done.
Politics should represent all of a country's inhabitants. The only right democracy is one in which men and women are evenly represented. Women are not a majority group that needs to be protected. Women actually make up half of the population. Women possess half of the populations talents, half of its knowledge and half of its skill. The chance of finding the most competent person is twice as big when you recruit among women as well. Women have their own interests and needs. They are in the best position to defend those interests. Women are believed to have a proper style and an evenly participation of women and men may lead to a diversity of ideas, values and patterns of behavior that can only result in an enrichment.
Liberia's Head of State Ellen Johnson Sir-Leaf has made history as Africa's first female President.. In the United States, Senator Hillary Clinton has made a positive impact in America's politics. Also the Republican Party's Presidential candidate John McCain picked a woman Sarah Palin the Govenor of Slaska as his running mate for the U.S election. this could be seen as the strong factor women constitute in the political parlance of any nation. Today, many countries all over the world are making good efforts to bridge the gap between men and women in politics we also have Zimbabwe’s Wangari Maatnai, the Nobel prize winner.These have included the example of the West and Asia where women like Britian’s Margaret Thatcher, Israel’s Golda Meir, India’s Indira Ghandi, Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, and lately Germany’s Angela Merkel have done or are doing well.
All these have been referenced in the case for the involvement of women in the leadership of State that constitute the continent. But we have to consider the issue of whether our men have satisfied our fundamental expectations of leadership. We have seen a leadership that cannot be said to be satistactory, save one or two pop-ups of good one’s like Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Anwar Sadat of Egypt.
But in Nigeria, the representation of women in Government even though has improved than before is still very low compared to what obtains in other nations of the world particularly in the developed nations. Despite the difficulties faced by women in politics, they continue with their political ambition, contributing enormously to the political and national development in their own way as the challenges militating against them are not present, although Nigeria is yet to have a female President. Women over the years could be said to have recorded some measure of appreciable political achievement in other political fields of endeavors, meeting their political objectives with limited support and resources at their disposal. In Nigeria, a couple of women political activisits such as, Mrs Margaret Ekpo, Mrs Janet Mokelu and Ms Young were members of the Eastern House of Assembly. The late Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, though not a full fledged politician, was a very strong force to reckon with in the politics of the Western Region and
Hajia Gambo Sawaba waged a fierce battle for the political and cultural emanicipation of women in the North. Sawaba, despite low education, coming from the northern part of Nigeria where women are least encouraged and their education neglected, and forced into early marriage at age 16, struggled through all these obstacles to emerge as a sweet, dynamic, independent political activist helping to educate many people. She was also able to come out of colonial repression and deformity refreshed and very human, and like most of her contemporaries, sowed the seed for the on-going emancipation of African women from the African tradition and the structures of the African nation-states.
One can say that women have always played viable roles in Nigeria in spite of all the limitations and encumbances. Babaginda era marked a turning point in the history of women struggle in Nigeria, when Maryam Babaginda institutionalized the office of the First Lady in 1987. She became the first working First Lady and launched the ''Better Life for Rural Women'' program. Other women who have made impact in the country's political scene include,
Mrs Ngozi Okonjo Iweala former Minister of Finance, who saved the nation records of billions of Naira as a result of her hard working nature as a public officer. Also, Mrs Obi Ezekwesili also laid a landmark in the history of Nigeria politics. Prof. Dora Akunyili, the NAFDAC boss has performed credibly; leading the fight against infiltration of adulterated pharmaceuticals drugs, her name can never be forgotten in the annals of history.
When we look at NAFDAC, no one ever thought about it or its importance in our nation until a woman got there, and because of the passion she has as a mother she was able to stand up and say the danger fake drugs is commiting in our Nation has got to stop dispite all the difficulties she faced she still continue the strugggle to stop the fake drug minace in our nation like a mother fighting to save the live of her children. And she has successfully done it well i want to believe it only a woman that can be patient and dedicated enough to have such passion.
Ndi Okereke Onyuike of the Stock Market has been able to revolutionize the stock market for good. We have other examples of women who have done excellently in their chosen fields such as Ngozi Onkonjo Iweaha, Obiageli Ezekwesile, and Nenadi Usman and our Oreoluwa Shomolu of w-tec. There are myriads of women in politics even presently that have done very well and are still performing excellently well.
We all know that before now every where, women are not given the chance to discover themselves to be what they want to be.
In our homes or houses today women are the ones who see to it that things are managed well and that things go the way it ought to go, this type of passion that this women have in managing their home’s is what they also carry to their work place to work with, even those who are not married also have this passion of i must make things go right.
I think God just gave all women that passion that was why he did not make it a all men world.
Political perennialism (sit-tightism) abuse of power, violations of human rights, mismangement of ther economy, and under development have been Sordid realities of the past four decades when we have men in the saddle of power.
The fact of an emerging spectrum of feminine leadership resources across the continent is no longer controvertible. Each country in Africa is birthing women professionals that possess requisite leadership protentials that can catapult the continent the new heights where they given a chance.
Gender equality presupposes giving a chance to a marginalized gender (in this case, women).
The saddle of leadership is long overdue to be ceded to the feminine gender, wher we to eschew prejudice, bias chauvinism subjectivism and other less than wholesome oddities of the human nature, it would be obvious in no time how much progress would be made by this great continet in the area of good goverance, infrastuctural development, rule of law, economic stability and progress, health education e.t.c.
>>>>> Making concessions for the feminine gender to have a shot of leadership does not erode the headership or leadership of men over them nor does it make a woman not to be a woman. Let the woman of Africa have chance at leadership so we can move forward. You educate a woman you educate a Nation. What role do women play in post-conflict nation-building? How do processes of nation-building affect the status and situation of women? A literature review and findings from Afghanistan indicate that greater stability and improved outcomes would be likely if there were: 1) a more genuine emphasis on the concept of human security; 2) a focus on establishing governance based on principles of equity and consistent rule of law from the start; and 3) economic inclusion of women in the earliest stages of reconstruction activities.
Nation-building
is defined as dealing with the societal and political aftermath of conflicts
and establishing new governments and social compacts. In immediate
post-conflict environments, the goal of preventing renewed violence often
overshadows everything else. This can lead to tensions between civil-society
actors, including advocates of women's interests, and the implementers of
nation-building efforts. Implementers often argue for a gradual and cautious
approach, contending that too bold a stance on issues of gender will imperil
peace. However, the (limited) available empirical evidence suggests that gender
parity may help to facilitate stability.
In
Afghanistan, the acceptance of women's political participation by mainstream
society – as reflected in opinion polls, survey research, and behaviour – was
higher than outside observers had anticipated. A flexible process in which
local conditions and concerns were noted and adapted to contributed to that
outcome.
The
following findings support the argument for earlier emphasis on values associated
with stable democratic societies governed by rule of law. Among these, gender
equity and women's inclusion play a central role:
- The
conduct of states in foreign relations tends to mirror domestic conduct. A
country that shows a propensity toward violence and disregard of the
rights of weaker strata of its society will be likely to initiate violence
against its neighbours.
- The
'demographic shift' that generally represents the transition to modernity,
involves conditions such as: smaller family size, higher longevity,
increased maternal and infant survival rates, greater societal prosperity,
and increased political stability. These go along with increased gender
equality.
- Economic
development is strongly elevated when women enter the marketplace. Women's
economic participation decreases the dependency ratio and increases the
proportion of wage earners to dependents. Women are also more likely than
men to reinvest their earnings to benefit the family.
- In
many settings, including women in the labour force has lifted families out
of the cycle of poverty.
- The
presence of women in institutions such as the police and administrative
bureaucracies is associated with decreases in corruption.
Beyond
the three shifts in emphasis already mentioned, specific recommendations
include the following:
- Establish
clear goals for interventions: Women's rights can mean different things to
different parties. Listening to women is a way of gathering information on
a country's historical, social, and familial norms.
- Build
up reliance on civil society: This requires long-term resources and
support for indigenous community-level programmes that encourage local
leaders to accept both traditional and non-traditional roles for women.
- Improve
data collection: While data collection is difficult in
conflict zones, collaboration is attainable and in everyone's interest.
- Resolve
contradictions: Resources need to be dedicated to predicting
and resolving the contradictions created by social change. These might
include contradictions between or within the constitution, legal code,
local traditions and human rights conventions.
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