9621 Agnes Crossing, Lake Suzanneview, New Mexico Island 84604-9295.
UN Women, the UN body for empowerment and gender equality, has warned of rising political violence against women, a phenomenon “it’s growing”especially what is carried out with the
UN Women, the UN body for empowerment and gender equality, has warned of rising political violence against women, a phenomenon “it’s growing”especially what is carried out with the help of technology, and what runs “parallel” with his wider presence in public life.
This was stated by Marta Wahl, a member of the UN Women political participation team, in an interview with the publication Europe Press in which she emphasized that this situation of violence means that women must pay a “much higher” price that men for participating in the election campaign.
The escalation of political violence against women also affects maintaining positions in public lifetherefore the fact that some countries reach parity quotas in cabinets are not the final achievementbut this is a question that must continue over time.
“In recent years we have seen failures, countries that have reached parity with quota legislation, and when we thought we would not get out of there, a new administration comes, constitutional or electoral reform, that quota law disappears and the level of women in the legislature rises from 50 to 20 percent,” Val added.
In this context, he emphasized the need to support legal frameworks that promote parity policies and programs. “permanent and global”emphasizing that – “out of neutrality and non-interference in sovereign political processes” – the meaning of the people’s vote “has consequences”.
Photo: Archive.
“The way women and men use their voices affects not only the exclusivity and diversity of institutions, legislatures, parliaments or local authorities, but also their immediate lives. In the end, you vote for political programs,” said the head of UN Women.
Wahl also highlighted the results obtained from quota policies, which set a certain percentage of women on electoral lists to achieve parity in political positions. “Gender quotas have shown us over the years that they one of the most effective ways to increase the number of women in public life“, he pointed.
2024 is classified as a “mega-electoral” year due to the numerous votes that have already taken place and will take place in the coming months. These events include, in particular, the presidential elections in Russia, the United States and Venezuela, as well as the elections to the European Parliament.
During the year, elections of one kind or another will be held in more than 60 countries, representing about 44% of the world’s population. According to UN Women, about 1.3 billion women of voting age will be able to do this.
Of the total number of countries in which voting will take place, only a fifth of the elections will be for the head of state. According to UN Women, as of January 2024. Only three countries have women elected presidents -Georgia, Moldova and Slovakia- and two thirds of these countries have never had a woman in this position.
Image: pixels
In fact, Val emphasized that, according to UN estimates, Gender parity in parliaments will not be achieved before 2063and we’ll have to wait 130 years to see equality at the level of heads of state and government..
“There is a long way to go towards parity in political life.”
One of the countries that can “breaking this ceiling” is Mexicowhere the two main candidates for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador are women: the ruling party Claudia Sheinbaum and the opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez.
“The advancement of women in any country to senior positions in government or public leadership is always remarkable given the numbers we have been tracking for decades. Mexico will of course be a big deal this year.because technically it will be too first country in North America to have a female president“Val said, although he added that it is impossible to predict the outcome of the elections.
Likewise, Val stressed that the election result “really opens doors” and recalled other women who have served as presidents in Latin America, such as Chile’s Michelle Bachelet or Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff.
Photos: Cuartoscuro. Treatment: AN
“It takes a little bit of this testimony, but it is true that in recent years We have gone from having few female heads of state in the region to almost no“, he concluded, stating that Mexico ‘opens a little bit of hope again’.
Val emphasized that some countries, such as Mexico or Rwanda exceed the 50% women in leadership positions.. Other states such as Austria, Belgium or Mozambique are close to parity with more than 40 percent women in parliaments.
In many other countries holding elections this year, women’s representation is at 30%, a figure considered “acceptable critical mass” but that “parity is still a long way off.” Croatia and Portugal, among others, are at this stage.
However, more than a dozen countries that will open their electoral colleges in 2024 do not reach this 30% of women in the legislature, such as the United States, Uruguay or El Salvador. In other states, such as the Maldives, Tuvalu or Kiribati, women do not hold even 8% of political positions.
“Many (of these countries) come from the Pacific region, where women’s representation in politics is among the lowest in the world,” Val said, adding that the Middle East and the Asian continent are regions where “There’s still a long way to go”.
Photo: Archive
On the contrary, the representative of the United Nations notes Europe leads the region with the highest gender parity, followed by Latin America. where “progress has been made” in this sense in recent years, albeit unevenly.
“There are countries with parity, like Mexico.; but there are also those that still have a long way to go, like Uruguay or Guatemala, where there really is no gender quota,” added the UN Women official, who, despite everything, emphasizes significant progress in implementing the parity program in the Latin American region.
On the other hand, Val stated that 84% of women ministers in the world are heading equality policy or family policy portfolios, child or social problems, and cultural problems. While he emphasized the importance of these ministries, he notes that the so-called “hard portfolios” are led by men.
In the ministries of defence, energy or economics The number of women at the helm is ‘significantly declining’ in a pyramid that is “completely inverted.” Only 20% of women are responsible for justice; 14% from industry; 12% Defense; and about 8% from transport.
“Women hold 22.8 percent of ministerial portfolios.. “There is still a long way to go to achieve the desired parity.”
Europe Press
Source: Aristegui Noticias
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
