Importance of women's political empowerement - Gurmai Zita

Britta Thomsen
Importance of women's political empowerment
The importance of political
empowerment of women
Europe faces the biggest crisis since the end of the Second World War. In this time of crisis we
of course focus on bringing our economy back on track, but we must also focus on preventing a
social crisis. It is a well known fact, that when the economy is struck down by a crisis, the
highest price is paid by the most vulnerable sectors of society.
We know that women are more affected by poverty than men. Women receive lower salaries
than men and do not have the same access to high level positions in society. The
Commission's 2010 annual report on gender equality states that women on average earn
between 14-17 percent less than men. And we also know that especially single mothers and
elderly women are at high risk of poverty.
Women's low income and exposure to poverty is linked to the situation on the labour market.
Women are more likely to work on a part-time contract. They also need to give birth to children
and is still seen as the primary care person. Women depend on access to child care and
nurseries to be able to choose a more time-consuming career. In addition to this, women's
pension is often reduced compared to men's because of the part time contracts and maternity
leave.
In other words, there is still a lot we need to change in order to achieve more gender equality in
the European society. In that aspect it is a great concern that only 23 percent of national
parliamentary seats are held by women. Not to say, that men cannot or will not change the
reality of women today. But we must strive to achieve more diversity both at political level and
at business level. This diversity is also highly important for a thriving democracy.
At the overall level we must also discuss and confront cultural stereotypes. We still can observe
how the competences of female politicians are still doubted especially by the media. In addition
to that, female politicians often have to answer questions about their private life for example
regarding how they combine family life with a political career. Men are rarely asked the same
questions. It would be more relevant also to judge female politicians on their competences and
acts the same way we judge male politicians. Women play a great role in that aspect.
Sometimes women themselves pursue and maximize the cultural stereotypes.
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