genderissues
WOMEN AS POLITICAL
LEADERS
Would we do it better?
N
ever before in human history have there been so many women in high ranking political posts. In the last 40 years we have seen the emergence of women prime ministers, the highest leadership post it is possible to have. There are several at present in office and others coming up e.g. – Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson in Liberia; Michelle Bachelet in Chile; Angela Merkel in Germany; Tarja Halonen in Finland; and Hillary Clinton vying for the 24
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arguably most powerful role in the world – that of the American presidency. They all follow in the steps of the great ground breakers – Golda Meir of Israel (the first); Indira Gandhi of India, Benezir Bhutto of Pakistan, Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain. So the answer to the question is probably yes – they couldn’t do much worse than some of the leaders we have right now! But qualifying that is – yes, but not always. Have they really got what it
takes? Women comprise 52% of the world population, so therefore, technically have more voting power. But is it properly used? The answer is no, not in Kenya. “We shouldn’t be just voting machines” says Lucy Orieng, a Kenyan newspaper’s managing editor, on this subject. “We still dance at political rallies, but to which tune? It is not just about dancing” Lucy goes on “but it’s planning your moves carefully and making sure you dance to the right tune and before the right audience that makes the difference” (which surely applies not only in politics but also in the corporate world?)
Can women do it?
Are we our own worst enemies? ‘Is it not so much that we don’t like other women, more that we just don’t like ourselves’ questions Lucy. “We need a blueprint that will change the face of women in Kenyan politics” says the Programmes Manager at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Maria Okong’o. “Political parties here don’t have a women’s agenda” she continues. “If you aren’t at the table, your agenda will not be heard”. But are we at the right table at the right time? There are women who could easily knock this country into the Kenya its people want, yet women here languish at the bottom of the heap at virtually every level that matters. “Women must think in terms of strategic advantages they can bring to leadership, otherwise they’ll only be singing and dancing till kingdom come” says Maria. “Our governance system should lay the foundations of a brighter political and economic future for Kenyans, about 56% of whom live below the poverty line – and, within that impoverished mass, guess who are the majority!” Wangari Maathai would normally be an asset to any government, especially with the public relations element in her role as the first African woman ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize, yet the only offer she ever got is a subsidiary position, not a key role to play in the dynamics of the country she put in the limelight with her environmental work and fearless stand against corrupt politics. Kenyan women are drastically un-