Women and Decision-making

Two months ago, the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women invited me to participate in an online Seminar on “ Women and Decision-making”, a follow-up to the Platform of Action of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, in 1995. The global community stressed the importance of women assuming positions of power and influence because despite the widespread movement for democracy, women were largely underrepresented in most governments especially in ministerial and other executive bodies. I learnt from discussions that the situation of women’s participation in decision-making has not changed much. Also from my own observation, today, the majority of women still remain outside most important decision-making arenas that effected their political, economic, and social lives, except in Scandinavian countries. But Dianne Lockwood, a participant of the UN seminar from Australia, surprised me of the progress in her country. In cultivating women leaders, she said that change happens because her government has a genuine commitment to gender equality. She reported that in the last decade, there had been considerable effort by Australia’s Federal Government to increase women’s leadership role. Now women hold one third of all Commonwealth parliamentary positions that give clout where it counts. Australian women hold 12% of all executive managerial positions in the private sectors, 35% of senior executive positions in the Public Service, and have 34.3% of all seats on government-controlled boards and bodies. Last year, the Australian government provides about 180 rural young women with leadership and role model opportunities through mentoring and leadership program pilots. Grants have been given to increase women’s leadership in sports and several key forums and “think thanks” to give women a voice. In addition, women were given a chance to have input into government policy through four National Women’s Secretariats funded by the government. I want to say that the progress in Australia happened because of many years of action taken by the women themselves, combined with efforts by the non-governmental organizations in lobbying their government to achieve the goal of equal participation of women and men in decision-making in the country. For me, women’s equal participation in decision-making is not only a demand for simple justice or democracy but also a necessary condition for women’s interests to be taken into account.

Filed under Gender Issues, United Nations |